Wasting All These Tears
by BabyGurl2012
Summary: Anastasia Steele had her heart shattered, but can it be pieced together when Christian Grey enters her life?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Music has long been a big part of my life. It's what often helps me deal with life and also write chapters for stories. Another thing which music does is inspire new ideas, and so this is yet another idea via music. The inspiration for this comes from the Cassadee Pope song "Wasting All These Tears". It's a powerful song about heartbreak and moving on. Enjoy!**

Broken hearts are a bitch. Whoever says otherwise obviously has never had their heart ripped out and torn to shreds before being back over with a semi. I would say that I hate those people, but truthfully, I'm relieved for them. I'm relieved that they don't have to deal with days and nights running together into one big nightmare. They don't have to deal with the constant barrage of "How are you holding up?" type questions. What I wouldn't do to swap places with one of those people just for one day, to not have this broken heart. Alas, I'm stuck in this hell thanks to my philandering ex boyfriend Bryant Holt. We were together for three years which were the best three years of my life, but Bryant obviously didn't share the same sentiment. I actually thought a engagement was on the horizon. Silly me. My world came crashing down three months ago when I got off work from my job at Seattle Magazine where I'm an arts and entertainment reporter. I was early, but I wanted to surprise Bryant. Little did I know that I was the one in for a surprise.

_As I opened the door to the two bedroom apartment which I shared with Bryant, I heard a series of giggles coming from our bedroom. My heart tried to convince me that the sounds were streaming from the television, but my head was telling me the unthinkable was going on. With my keys still on my hand, I slowly began inching towards the semi closed bedroom door. Through the small opening I could Bryant laying on his back while a blonde was kneeled in front of him. The sounds of his moans as she sucked on him flowed through the room and towards me. I wanted to scream, run, do something, but I was frozen at the sight before me. It was only when the keys fell from my hand that the pair noticed me. Bryant pushed the blonde away from him and scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over the sheets as he rushed towards me. He didn't seem bothered that he was standing there stark naked, but I don't guess it should have since both of the women in the room had been intimate with him._

_"Ana, I'm sorry.", he said. "I didn't mean..." I held my hand up to stop him while his "friend" wrapped a sheet around her body and then sat back down on the bed as if she were settling in for a show._

_"Didn't mean for what? Didn't mean for it to happen?", I asked. What he said next is where the knife was pushed deeper into my heart._

_"For you to find out like this." No it just happened. No it didn't mean anything._

_"What are you doing Bryant? Is this some sort of a fling or is it more?" I already knew from the look in his eyes what his answer was going to be, but I needed to hear it even if it was going to hurt like hell. _

_"It's more. Do you know how much I didn't want it to be more than a fling? I tried so hard to tell myself that Rachel and I were just having fun, but there's a connection there unlike anything that I've ever felt." I didn't know know the face, but the name Rachel was familiar to me in that she was one of his co-workers at the advertising agency where he worked. Everything started falling into place. There had been nights in which he worked late and immediately ran to the shower upon arriving home. He was washing away her scent! "You will always have a special place in my heart."_

_"Stop!", I snapped. "I don't want to hear it. You've ruined everything. I had all these dreams for us, but you threw them away like they meant nothing. Yet, you're standing there trying to make me feel better when you're only really trying to help yourself sleep at night." I pushed him out of the way and began striding across the beige bedroom carpet. Rachel backed up on to the bed with what looked like fear in her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not going to slap you or anything. Just remember, if he'll cheat on me, he'll do the same to you."_

_"Not possible. Bryant cares for me more than anything.", she smirked. "The two of you were already on shaky ground before I came along so there's no reason to blame me." I put my hands on my hips and turned to Bryant while laughing at what she said._

_"You really struck gold." There I was being all cool and calm in front of them, but internally, I was weeping. I went into the bedroom and began shoving clothes into one of my suitcases, feeling their eyes on me the entire time. Bryant was standing by the bed when I emerged with my luggage._

_"You don't have to leave. I had planned on moving out anyway so you should stay."_

_"And what? Sleep in the same bed that you fucked her in? Thanks but no thanks.", I hissed. "I'll be back for the rest of my things tomorrow." _

_As soon as I was out of the apartment and in the safety of my Volkswagen, I broke down and cried. I didn't know I was capable of producing so many tears, but they kept coming until they finally ended. It dawned on me that I was wasting my tears on a man who wasn't worthy. I was no longer going to be the girl let a man pull her down. _

"Audrey is having a small get together tonight at her place, and we definitely need to make an appearance.", my best friend and roommate Kate Kavanagh, breaking me out of my mental haze.

"Kate, I'm afraid that you're mistaken because Audrey never has small get parties."

"I'll have you know that the police weren't called not once during her last party, but you wouldn't know that since you made up some excuse. What was it again? You had to wash your hair?"

"I had food poisoning, but it was the truth. Don't you recall holding my hair back while I vomited my guts out?"

"Ugh, yeah. I had blocked that memory out.", she cringes. "Thanks for reminding me. Ana, you need to get out there and have some fun. Don't let what that scum of the earth ruin your chance of finding true love." The relationship between Kate and Bryant had always been a shaky one, but his cheating made her despise him.

"I'm not letting him ruin anything. I simply don't want another relationship. I'm perfectly content with my life at the moment. I've got a job which I look forward to going to in the morning and a best friend who has been my rock."

"And a BOB which helps you release some of that tension that keeps building up." Although Kate has a point, I can't help but blush at her brash comment. "I think you need to invest in a battery company."

"There's nothing wrong with having a little help. Besides, I don't have to worry about it leaving the toilet seat up or its clothes all over the place.", I shrug.

"You also don't get to feel the warmth of its arms around you when you go to sleep following a day from hell, hearing the comforting words that tomorrow is a new day. Don't you miss having that warm body next to you in bed? It's not just about the sex either. It's about knowing that person next to you is there for you no matter what. You act like a cynic when it comes to love, but I think deep down you long for that. You miss being kissed and being held."

"I hate to bust your bubble, but you're wrong." She places her water bottle back in the fridge and shakes her head before going towards her bedroom. Just as she gets to her door, she turns back at me with her sympathetic green eyes. "What?"

"I hate him for what he did to you. Bryant Holt didn't deserve to have someone as great as you, but you loved him for some odd reason. He tossed away a treasure for trash."

"That's so sweet, but I'm still not going to the party.", I giggle as she tosses her blonde hair over her shoulders in typical Kate dramatic fashion.

Once I'm alone in the living roon with my laptop in front of me, I feel that loneliness which I've ignored start to creep up against me. It's a feeling which I get at times, but I'm quick to brush it off because that loneliness often stirs tears which I refuse to allow to fall.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope everyone has a happy and safe new year! Enjoy!**

"Kate, come on! We're going to be late, and you know that I hate that.", I growl while pounding on her bedroom door. "I knew this was going to happen when you went to that party last night. You should have stayed home, but instead you went out and got drunk." Tired of waiting for her to open the door, I turn the knob and barge into the room where I see that she's laying in the bed with the covers pulled up to her head. "Kate, wake up."

"I don't feel good.", she murmurs.

"Gee, I wonder why." I place my hands on my hips and wait for her to show any sign of getting up, but she keeps laying in the bed. "If you're still in this bed after I count to three, I'm drag your ass out of it. One..two.." Just as I'm about to make good on my words, she pulls the covers back and allows me to see that she looks terrible.

"I think I've got the flu or something. My entire body aches all over, and my head is pounding. Before you start going all mom on me, I only had one beer last night, nothing more." As she talks, I place my hands on her forehead and realize that she's telling the truth. "Will you tell Olivia that I'm not going to be there?" Olivia Murphy is our boss at the magazine who has taken Kate and me under her wing. She was a great help while I was dealing with my breakup, giving me assignments to help me stay busy.

"Ok. Why don't you call and get a doctor's appointment? Hopefully you can get something to help get this out of your system. I'll call and check on you later."

"Hmm k.", she mumbles before pulling the covers back up.

Arriving at work in Wanda, my Volkswagen, I spot an empty space near the front of the building, but a red BMW swerves into the spot instead. The driver's side door opens a few seconds later, and my boss Olivia gets out with a grin on her face as I'm forced to park a few rows back.

"If you would trade that thing in for something a bit more up to date, you might have had that space.", she giggles while I'm getting out of the car. While Wanda isn't the most stylish car, she's one of the few things which I've always been able to count on. "Where's Kate?" Olivia knows that Kate and I always ride together, usually in Kate's white Mercedes since she can't stand Wanda.

"In bed, sick. She thinks it may be the flu.", I answer while we step into the lobby and then the elevator which takes us to the office on the fourth floor.

When we arrive on our floor, I smile and wave at Audrey, who's the receptionist for our department. She looks better than I thought she would after having her party last night. I place my purse on top of my desk and follow Olivia into her office.

"I hope you don't mind picking up some extra work since she's not here.", she says, sorting through the stack of messages on her desk, stopping on one of the papers in the middle. "I don't believe it."

"What's wrong?", I ask.

"Caroline quit. She turned in her resignation, effective immediately. Apparently she ran off to Vegas with her boyfriend Eric. Did she say anything to you about this?" Caroline Morrison has long been the leading columnist in our department which meant she got the best assignments.

"No. She was talking yesterday about getting more serious with him, but she gave no indication that marriage was on the horizon. Why would she leave her career for a guy? I don't understand."

"She had it bad.", Olivia replies. "This leaves me in a peculiar spot especially since she was going to cover the Coping Together Ball tomorrow night. I guess the honor now falls upon you." Placing the messages on the desk, she sees the questions in my eyes as to what the Coping Together Ball is. "Coping Together is a drug rehab program for parents wih young children. Every June, the Grey family holds the event at their home in Bellevue."

"Kate's better at the high society functions than me."

"She's also sick. I covered it last year so I guess that I could do it again, but I have all the confidence in the world that you'll do fine. I'm even going to give a company credit card so you can go shopping for a dress and all the accessories that you'll need. Ana, please." Olivia has been more than supportive of me in recent months so the least I could do is cover the event for her.

"I'll do it, but I'd like to get some more background information on what to expect."

"I like your thinking. I've got a meeting with the publishers, but I'll fill you in on some of the detail when I return. Also, Mrs. Grey is sending over one of the programs which will be of help as well."

* * *

"Ana, where's Kate?", Audrey asks as she glances over at Kate's empty desk.

"She's sick with what she believes is the flu. How was your party last night?" Her face lights up like Christmas lights any time the word party is mentioned.

"It was fabulous, but it would have been better if you were there. Kate said that you were working on an article which kept you from going." Kate's excuse sounds better than the actual one, I just didn't want to get trashed. "Before I plan the next one, I'll check in with you to make sure you're available."

"You really don't have to do that.", I say with a wave of my hands.

"It's the least I can do since you haven't had any real fun since your breakup. I know a few guys who would be perfect for you. Even if you don't find Mr. Right, you might meet Mr. Right Now, and there's nothing with that. Do you remember my ex Keith?"

"Was he the drummer?"

"No, he was a guitarist. Kenneth was a drummer who I dated after Paul, the manager of Keith's band." I honestly can't recall much about Audrey's old boyfriends or hookups since there have been several, but I nod my head and pretend to remember. "Anyway, Keith had the most magical fingers which would..." Just as she's about to give me unwanted details about her sex life, a tall copper haired young guy dressed in a dark gray suit and matching tie starts towards us. As he gets closer, I notice that his eyes are an intense gray.

"Good morning, I'm here to see Olivia Murphy.", he says in a deep voice. Audrey is practically foaming at the mouth at the stranger, but I'm not affected in the least bit even though I do find him good looking.

"She's in a meeting but will be back soon. If you'd like to have a seat Mr.."

"Grey, Christian Grey."

"Mr. Grey, it's nice to meet you. I'm Anastasia Steele and this is Audrey Karnes. "Can I get you something to drink while you wait?" He holds up a piece of paper and gives me a gentle smile. "No, I'm just dropping off a program for my parents' fundraiser."

"Mr. Grey, it's nice to see you again.", Olivia says while joining us. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but my meeting ran over. Why don't we go into my office?" Her eyes narrow at Audrey who's failing miserably at pretending to not be staring at him. "We can have privacy. Ana, why don't you join us?"

"Ok.", I answer, standing up from my chair. Olivia starts towards her office, but I wait for Mr. Grey to go ahead of me. "After you."

"No, after you.", he says. Walking in front of him, I feel his eyes on me the entire time. I'm relieved when we step into Olivia's office.

"Please have a seat.", Olivia smiles at him. "Ana, you too." With Olivia settling in behind her desk, I take the seat next to Mr. Grey who tapping his knee with the program. "When your mother called and informed me that she was going to send a program over, I didn't know that she was going to send you, not that it isn't nice to see you again."

"She was going to have a carrier bring it, but I had a meeting down the street so I volunteered. Besides, some of the carrier services have been known to lose items, and I didn't want to take a chance with this considering how much tomorrow night means."

"I understand completely. Ana's going to be covering the evening so you can give her the program." He shifts in his seat and hands out the program, brushing my fingers gently.

"Here you go."

"Thank you." A few seconds later, Audrey opens the door with an apologetic look on her face.

"Olivia, I'm sorry for interrupting, but Kurt Bennet is insisting on seeing you about a misprint in one of Caroline's articles.

"Can you ask him to come back later? I'm in the middle of a meeting.", Olivia sighs.

"If you're needed, you should go. Miss Steele and I can wait.", Mr. Grey says. Once again, those gray eyes are on me, but I simply nod and look towards Olivia.

"I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Miss Steele..wait..which would you prefer that I use, your first or last name?", he asks.

"You can call me by first name.", I reply.

"All right, Anastasia, have you ever covered an event as big as the Coping Together Ball?"

"I haven't. Most of my work has been on a lower scale, but I'm certain that I'll do it justice."

"I get the impression that you're very passionate about your work. Am I right?"

"You're correct." While looking down at the program, I notice for the first time that it's a masquerade ball. "Everyone will be wearing masks?"

"Yes. The theme changes every year so my mother decided to go the masquerade route this year. Really when you think about it, it's no different from everyday life. All of us have the tendency to hide behind a mask even though it's invisible."

"I'm not so sure about that. With me, what you see is what you get.", I tell him with confidence.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you.", he says with a smirk. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a tad bit attractive to him, but I refuse to fall under his spell.

"What do you mean by that?" Before he has a chance to answer, Olivia opens the door and sits back down at her desk.

"Again, I'm sorry. Did the two of you have a chance to go over things?", she asks.

"Somewhat. Anastasia, I'll be on hand tomorrow night if you need me." Why does I get the feeling that his words have a double meaning?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Hey Dad, I was calling to say hi and see how you're doing.", I tell my dad while balancing my phone against my ear and grabbing a bowl of granola.

"Good morning Annie. I was just about to pick up the phone to call you. I guess great minds think alike.", he laughs. In addition to Kate, my dad was my rock after my breakup. I'll never forget how he threatened to drive from his house in Montesano to Seattle in the middle of the night just so he could beat up Bryant, but I was able to finally convince him that Bryant wasn't worth it. My birth father died when I was a was a baby so I have no memory of him, but I've got a lifetime of memories of Ray Steele, who my mother married when I was two. That marriage ended, but I stayed with Ray even after my mother remarried and moved to Texas with her third husband. She's currently based in Georgia with husband number four.

"Have you had breakfast yet?", I ask, knowing that he's probably been up for hours already.

"I woke up around five and made breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. I even had freshly squeezed orange juice."

"Sounds delicious."

"It was, but the best part of it was that I didn't set off the smoke detectors." One of the things which we did while I was still home was cook together even though his contribution was not always up to par. "How are things there?"

"Things are going well. Kate's been sick since yesterday, but thankfully it's not the flu which we had thought. I've been keeping her supplied with plenty of fluids and soup.", I say, looking towards Kate's room where she was still sleeping when I last checked on her.

"You're always taking care of others. And work?"

"The same. I've been assigned to cover a fundraiser tonight, The Coping Together Ball. It's a pretty big deal that I want to give my very best. I'm even wearing a fancy dress and getting my hair styled.", I giggle. "I'm not even going to call and tell Mom about it since she'll insist that I send her photos."

"She wouldn't be you mom if she didn't. You'll be beautiful just as you always are."

"Thanks Dad. How about I come and visit you soon or you can come here? I miss you."

"I miss you too sweetheart. I can try to come in two weeks if that's ok with you. The last thing that I want is to intrude when you're busy."

"I'm never too busy for you so come on."

Once my phone call with my dad is over, I begin eating my granola and thinking about the day ahead of me. My Saturdays are normally spent cleaning and running errands while dressed in yoga pants and a tee. Today, however, is going to be spent working on the beginning of my article and then getting dressed in the gown which I bought yesterday. In the past, I've enlisted Kate's help in finding a fancy dress, but her sickness kept that from happening so I was left to fend for myself.

"Do we have more juice?", I hear Kate moan while shuffling her feet across the living room in her pink slippers.

"Yeah, I'll get you some." Before I have a chance to get up, she holds her hand up and directs me to remain seated.

"I'll get it. You've already done more than enough for me." She grabs a glass out of the cupboard and then opens the fridge for the orange juice. "Are you excited for tonight?"

"Sure. I'm looking forward to covering the ball.", I shrug. She finishes pouring her juice and takes the seat across from me while shaking her head. "Kate, if you're under the impression that I'm going to go there to whoop it up, you're badly mistaken. Tonight is for work and work only."

"You can also enjoy yourself. Were you able to get as much research as you wanted?", she asks.

"I'm more than satisfied with what I've got." Once I was off and running with my assignment, I began learning more about the Grey family. Carrick Grey is a prominent attorney while Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey is a successful pediatrician. They're parents to Mia, Elliot, and of course Christian whose success is quiet remarkable for a man of only twenty-seven. After only spending two years at Harvard, he dropped out and started his own business which has grown into the billion dollar Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc. "Enough about tonight. How are you feeling?"

"I'm still not a hundred percent, but I'm feeling a little better than I was yesterday. The cold medicine that my doctor prescribed me has been a big help. I feel well enough to help you get ready for tonight if you want."

"I appreciate your offer, but I can manage. I'm going to curl my hair into loose curls and leave it down. What do you think?" She finishes off the last of her juice and begins tapping her index finger on her chin in contemplation.

"My dear, that will look great.", she says. "It'll be the perfect style to go with your dress which I can not express enough how much I love. For someone who claims to not have a sense of fashion, you did a wonderful job picking out a dress." My dress is an embellished black gown with alternating layers of black and white tulle which create a layered shadow effect. The top bodice is made of black lace with black sequins and beaded embellishments. It's a beautiful dress which I'm proud of myself for finding.

* * *

"What was I thinking?", I mumble under my breath while walking towards the large tent in the backyard of the Greys' home. The frown which I got from the valet who took my car when I arrived didn't help put me at ease. Olivia called earlier and told me that I need to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Grey near the entrance when I arrive. A man, dressed in all white, nods as I step inside. The setting is amazing. Tables which are draped in silver tablecloths with black candles on top line the sides of the room while silver chandeliers serve as the main lighting for the area. In the center is a black marble dance floor with a stage at the front.

"Welcome.", a sandy haired woman in her late forties greets me. Unlike the other guests, she isn't wearing a mask. I immediately recognize her from the online photos as Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grace.

"Thank you. I'm Anastasia Steele from Seattle Magazine. I was assigned to cover the ball."

"Oh yes, Anastasia, it's a pleasure to meet you. Olivia spoke highly of you when we talked this morning." I can't see my face, but I'm sure that I'm blushing. Compliments are something which I've always had a hard time accepting. A tall, gray-haired man begins walking in our direction from the left of the room. Before he can get to us, a raven-haired girl who appears to be around my age leaps to his side.

"Grace, there you are.", he says. "Mia's been getting antsy over the auction." I figure out that the two are Carrick and Mia Grey. Mia's dressed in a pink ball gown which has a cinderella skirt. Her mask is a matching shade of pink with sequins on the side.

"You don't have a mask.", Mia points out.

"Forgive my daughter.", Grace apologizes. "Tonight is one of her favorite nights of the year so she gets a tad carried away. Anastasia Steele, this is my husband Carrick and my daughter Mia. Anastasia's going to be writing the article which will run in Seattle Magazine."

"It's nice to meet you.", they say in unison which sends Mia into a fit of giggles.

"As for the mask, I've got a few extra on hand if you'd like one, but you don't have to wear one if you don't want to."

"Wearing a mask would allow me to get the full experience of the evening so I'm going to say yes." Mrs. Grey turns to a small table beside her and picks up a black mask with small feathers on the side. "Thank you.", I say once I've got the mask on. Scanning the room, I see no sign of Christian, but the evening is still young.

"I've got an idea, you should sit with us at dinner. It'll be fun.", Mia says.

"All right. I'm going to look around for a while before dinner begins."

As I make my way through the crowd, a string quartet begins setting up on the stage while waiters begin passing around champagne. I'm tempted to have a glass, but I decide to hold off. Glancing at my watch, I see that it's almost time for the official welcome so I begin to go in search of the Grey's table. When I realize that I'm going in the wrong direction, I turn around, only to bump into someone.

"I'm so sorry." I'd know that voice anywhere. It's Bryant. I raise my head up and look at him through my mask. Christian Grey's theory that everyone wears a mask isn't true for me, but it's definitely true for the man standing before me.

"Ana, um, what are you doing here?", he asks.

"I'm writing an article about the fundraiser for the magazine.", I reply.

"Wow, that's great. Rachel's mother got us tickets." Is he for real? Does he actually think I give a damn about why he's here? No.

"Your reason for being here is none of my concern. If you'll excuse me, I need to find my table." Before I can walk past him, I feel his hand on my elbow.

"Wait, please. You look...wow.", he smiles with his eyes roaming up and down my body. This is a man who I allowed to discover every surface of my body, yet I'm uncomfortable in this very moment.

"Why don't you go and find Rachel?"

"She's mingling with some of the other guests. I won't bother you anymore tonight, but I wanted to know see you're doing."

"How am I doing?", I scoff at his ignorant words. "What did you expect me to do, stop living my life just because you stopped loving me? If you really want to know how I'm doing, I'm doing great. Your betrayal hurt me, but it didn't break me. I'm actually a better person because of it. So thank you for being the scum that you are." Behind him, my eyes catch sight of a man dressed in a black tux and simple black mask. Gray eyes are locked on mine as he inches closer to where I'm standing.

"Anastasia, my mother was worried that you might have gotten lost so I told that I'd find you.", Christian Grey says. He looks at Bryant only briefly before turning his attention back to me. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, there's nothing going on here. I'm ready to take my seat." I don't give Bryant a chance to respond as I step away from him. "This is quiet a turn out."

"Yes it is. My mother is thrilled with the potential that tonight might bring."

"Yay, you found her.", Mia exclaims once we arrive at the table. "Ana, you can sit next to me."

"Ok." I take the seat next to Mia followed by Christian taking the one on my other side.

"It's good to have you sitting with us. Elliot, our oldest, is working in Tacoma so he couldn't be here tonight.", Mrs. Grey says. "Carrick, it's time for us to go and welcome everyone. We'll be right back."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but was the guy who you were talking to causing you trouble?", Christian asks. "I can have him removed from the property if he was."

"That won't be necessary."

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Coping Together Ball. We strive every year to outdo the year before, and we always succeed, thanks to you. Over the past few years, you all have opened not only your wallets but also your hearts to the Coping Together charity. We can't find enough words to express our gratitude so I'll simply say thank you.", Mr. Grey says with his hand in his wife's. "We have a delicious menu lined up for you this evening followed by an auction. Enjoy your evening."

The dinner portion of the evening consists of a choice of grilled salmon or roasted rosemary chicken along with steamed summer vegetables in a butter sauce, garlic red potatoes, and cream braised brussel sprouts. Topping off the men is the dessert selection of maple ice cream, chocolate ganache, and bananas foster crepes. The Grey family has been warm and welcoming throughout the entire meal. Mrs. Grey told me of plans to build a new rehab facility with a more relaxed atmosphere so families can be comfortable when visiting loved ones. I'm having a lovely evening, despite the fact that Bryant is here somewhere with Rachel.

"The auction is next, right?", I ask before taking a bite of my ice cream.

"It's going begin in about fifteen minutes, but we may have situation on our hands.", Mia answers. "We were supposed to have ten girls for it, but my friend Lily is sick. So...we're short one person."

"Mia, it's not a big deal that one spot is empty. Tonight will still be a success."

"True big brother, but ten is a better number than nine. If only we could find one more person who would be willing to help us." She shifts in her seat and grins at me, making me worry about what she's about to say. "Ana, didn't you say that you're all for getting the full experience of the night?" My words have come back to bite me in the ass.

"I did say that, but it was in reference to the masks. I'm simply here to observe the evening. One of the other guests would probably jump at the chance."

"Oh come on Miss Steele. The auction is for a good cause and is the highlight of the evening. Plus, it'll add more dimension to your story and allow your readers further insight on what takes place." I'm sure Olivia would be proud that I took such a step for the story.

"What does the highest bidder win? A dance?", I ask.

"A "date", Mrs. Grey answers. "We've done the dance idea a few times in the past, but we began the "date" last year. Most of the couples didn't actually go out on the date. They greeted each other, talked for a few minutes, and then went their separate ways. The money was still donated."

"Count me in."

* * *

Agreeing to the auction may have been a mistake but it's too late to back out as I make my way up the stage along with the other girls. Since I was such a good sport about it, I was assigned number two so I won't have to stand up very long. Mia's the first one in line. While I wait on things to begin, I see Bryant and Rachel at one of the tables on the right side of the room. Rachel's eyes are bulging at the sight of me standing in front of the crowd. She gives me a smirk and then leans into Bryant, whispering something before running her hand through his hair. If she's trying to get a rise out of me, she isn't getting anywhere.

"And now it's time for our auction. Starting us off is the lovely Mia Grey.", Mr. Grey announces. "Mia hopes to one day own her own catering business, and she enjoys volunteering at the hospital. She's a fine young lady. Where shall we start the bidding off?"

"Five hundred dollars!", a young,tall haired guy in the front of the room shouts. Mia's face lights up at his bid.

"I have five hundred from the front. Do I hear six hundred?"

"Six hundred!", Christian laughs. Mia appears annoyed at her brother. It's obvious that she wants the first bidder to win.

"Seven hundred!", she says as the crowd breaks into laughter.

"I'm not sure if you can bid on yourself, but I'll let it go. Do we have eight hundred?", Carrick asks.

"One thousand dollars!", the young guy answers. Mia clears her throat as a sign for her dad to end the bidding there.

"All right. I've one thousand dollars. Going once. Going twice. Sold! Congratulations. You may come to the stage and meet your date." Mia grins at me before heading to the edge of the stage where the guy has stepped. She takes his extended hand and joins him on the floor. "Next we have Anastasia Steele. She works for Seattle Magazine which will feature an article on tonight, but she has graciously agreed to help us in our auction. Let's the start the bidding."

"Five hundred dollars!", I hear from the back.

"Six hundred!", another shouts. I feel like I'm in a daze while the bids continue to go up far more than I was expecting. Bryant's lips are pursed together while his arms are folded over his chest. He looks like a child who has been there would be no ice cream. _I love it!_ Rachel seems to have picked up on his foul mood because she's giving him the evil eye.

"Going once. Going twice. Sold for five thousand dollars to Christian Grey." _What?! _Christian glides forward with a smirk on his face.

"Why did you do that?", I ask once I've stepped off the stage.

"To help raise money.", he shrugs.

"Yes, but why would you want to bid on me? There are eight other girls up there who you could have chosen."

"I'm capable of counting. I saw the way the guy from before was looking at you so I thought that I'd help. He gets his Cheerios pissed in, and money gets raised. It's win, win."

"Thank you. I suppose I'll get back to my seat."

"Wait, we need to discuss our evening."

"What do you mean? Your mother said that a date doesn't have to take place."

"I'm aware of that, but I don't do anything half ass. I'd like to have dinner with you."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Hold up. You want to have dinner with me?" The place is kind of noisy so maybe I heard wrong, and he said something completely different.

"Yes Anastasia, I'd like to have dinner with you. Why don't we exchange numbers so we can make plans?", Christian answers while nodding for us to move further away from the stage which is good thinking considering I don't want a scene.

"First of all, I haven't agreed to dinner, and secondly, I don't give my number out to strangers." Instead of accepting my words, he seems to be amused by them.

"Ah, but if we have dinner, we can get to know each other and not be strangers.", he replies with a smug grin. "Don't think of it as a date but as two people sitting down for a meal while having a conversation. I saw you eating earlier and have heard you speak so you can't use the excuse of not knowing how to do either one." One side of my brain is telling me to say yes while the other side is telling me to stick my no dating policy. _But it's not a date._

"I'm so excited that Christian had the highest bid on you.", Mia says excitedly as she comes rushing over with the guy who won her. "Jacob and I are going out tomorrow night. Any idea when your date might be?"

"Mia, I'm afraid that Anastasia doesn't want to have dinner with me."

"Why not?", she pouts. "Everyone else is going out."

"It's her decision so if she doesn't want to then there's nothing I can do about it. I can't change her mind." Mia and Jacob are staring at me like I've just ate the last cookie in the cookie jar. I hate feeling like the bad guy. "We should get back to our seats.", Christian shrugs with a defeated look before turning away. I did want the full experience.

"Fine.", I tell him. "I'll have dinner with you but only if I pick the place."

"I'll do you one better, you can pick the day and time as well." My terms, I like it.

"I'd like to go ahead and get it out of the way so how about tomorrow night at seven? Have you ever been to Paseo?" Maybe the night won't be so bad if we go to one of my favorite restaurants.

"Yes, I've actually been to both of their locations, and the food is excellent at both. Let me have your number so I can call if I need directions to your place."

"I should clarify myself. We'll meet at the the Paseo on Freemont Avenue at seven so there's no need for you to have my number or address." He stands in silence for a few seconds, pondering whether to accept the stipulations.

"I'll agree to your terms. Now shall we get back to our seats and enjoy the rest of the evening?"

"Let's go."

On the way back to our table, we pass by Bryant and Rachel who are now having a conversation with an older couple. Bryant's acting skills are lacking as he pretends not to notice me, but Rachel's watching every move that I make.

"Oh Ana, it's nice to see you again.", Rachel purrs. "Our scenery is much different from the last time we saw each other."

"Rachel, don't.", Bryant scolds. "We're all here to have a good time so don't ruin it."

"Enjoy the rest of your evening." Christian choses this moment to step to my side where he motions for Rachel to lean closer to him.

"You've got a little something in your teeth.", he says in a low voice. Sure enough, she has what looks like a piece of brussel sprouts in between two of her front teeth. I'm dying of laughter on the inside.

"You'd better go and take care of that." Rachel gives me a glare before rushing away, leaving Bryant behind, but Christian and I don't stop and keep him company. "Thank you for that.", I smile at Christian. "It was probably the highlight of my night."

"You mean being won by me wasn't? I'm wounded.", he sighs.

* * *

"You already told me that you were able to get some good things for your article, but you haven't said if you had fun last night.", Kate says while we're having lunch at Red Mill Burger. Now that she's feeling better, her appetite has returned so she suggested that we grab a burger.

"I had a nice time despite the fact that Bryant and Rachel were there." She drops her fry and shifts forward in her seat to hear the details. "It wasn't as bad as you're probably thinking. There was no hair pulling or name calling."

"Damn. I've been waiting on a good catfight. Just kidding. Seriously, how did go with seeing them?"

"Bryant kind of cornered me while Rachel was mingling. He had the nerve to ask me how I'm doing. Can you believe that? I more or less put him in his place. Then he wasn't too amused when he saw me on stage for the auction." _Crap! _My omission wasn't intentional, but I also knew that Kate would push for details...all of the details.

"You told me there was an auction, but it seems that you failed to mention your participation."

"They needed one more girl to be in so I agreed. The look on Bryant's face as the bidding went on was priceless."

"The bastard was having an "Oh fuck" moment.", she says.

"I may regret asking but what is that?"

"It's when you make a choice that you think is the best but then something happens and causes you to go "Oh fuck." He couldn't stand seeing those other guys going for you."

"Too bad. He made his choice when he decided to start screwing Rachel behind my back.", I say as I swirl my straw around in my glass.

"They say you never know what you have until it's gone. Back to the auction, who won you?"

"Um, Christian Grey.", I mumble. "Before you start planning my wedding, I want you to know that I only agreed to dinner with him because I felt like it was the right thing to do. We're meeting for dinner tonight at Paseo."

"I knew that you would change you mind about not dating. From the photos that I've seen of him online, he's one sexy man." This is exactly why I didn't want to tell her.

"I'm still sticking with the no dating decision because tonight isn't a date. It's simply dinner."

* * *

Dressed in a yellow and white striped sundress and white heels, I arrive at Paseo at six forty-five even though my non-date with Christian Grey isn't until seven. If I'm doing this on my terms, I want to make sure that I'm the first to arrive, but my plan is a bust when I see him standing inside. There may be a slight dampness at the sight of him dressed in a white button up dress shirt, jeans, and a black leather jacket. He looks nothing like a CEO. Turning around, he meets my gaze.

"Anastasia, it would seem that I'm not the only one who prefers to arrive earlier than scheduled.", he says. "You look lovely."

"Thank you."

"I went ahead and got a table if that's ok."

"Of course.", I answer as he nods towards a table near the back of the restaurant. I give him a brief smile and then begin walking to the table. As soon as we sit down, a young blonde waitress comes to the table with two menus.

"Good evening and welcome to Paseo. I'm Laura, and I'll be you serving you tonight. What can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have water with lemon."

"Water with lemon sounds like a nice choice. I'll have the same.", Christian replies. Laura hasn't taken her eyes off the time that she's been at the table, but he hasn't paid her the least bit attention. "We're going to need some time to look over the menu. Thanks."

"All right. I'll be back with your waters.", she says, turning on her heels in disappointment that she went unnoticed.

"Did you not want something stronger than water? Wine perhaps?"

"Why? Were you hoping that I'd get drunk so you could have your way with me?" I cock my head to the side with a raised brow.

"Not at all. I happen to like my women coherent. I just thought that you might want a glass of wine to help you relax."

"I'm relaxed." He slides a menu across the table for me, but I shake my head and push it away. "I already know what I want."

"That makes two of us.", he says with darkened eyes. Neither of us say anything as we stare at each other for what feels like eternity. The moment is broken by Laura who has returned with our waters.

"Ok, here are your waters. Have you decided what you're having?"

"I'm going to have the Caribbean scallops. Anastasia?"

"I'll have the same.", I answer as Laura writes down our order and walks away. For some reason, I find myself nervously biting my lip. Why am I nervous?

"Your lip biting is very distracting.", he says. "We might as well make the most of the evening so why don't you tell me a little about yourself. I'd like to know more about Anastasia Steele."

"There's not much to know. My birth father died when I was a baby so I have no memory of him. My mom's second husband Ray is who I've always thought of as my dad. He's been there for me through good and bad, and I don't know what I'd do without him. My relationship with my mom isn't as strong as I'd like, but her living in Georgia with her new husband doesn't help things. Still, we talk and email."

"I understand where you're coming from. I'm close to my family especially my mother, but I'd like to have a closer relationship with all of them." What seems to be a tinge of sadness is on his face as he looks down into his glass.

"You can always improve things with them.", I suggest.

"Maybe. Why don't we get back on track? Do you enjoy working at the magazine?"

"I love working there. Writing has always been a passion of mine so when I got the opportunity to write for a living, I took it. Olivia's an amazing boss. She gives me advice and encouragement when I feel like I'm running on empty. I assume you get the same feeling with your job."

"I do love it even though it's stressful and involves long hours. I can't remember when I last had a real vacation. Sure I get to travel all over the world, but ninety-nine percent of my time is spent in meetings which are boring as hell."

"What do you like to do when you have free time?", I ask as our food arrives. "How do you relax?"

"I like to sail and fly among other things.", he answers with a sly grin. "I could share some of my interests with you some time if you'd like." There's something mysterious about him, yet, I can't stop the aching that I've got between my legs. _What in the hell is wrong with me?_

"And now the million dollar question, why did you really bid on me at the auction? And don't give me the it was for charity or to make Bryant upset excuses. There's more going on than you're telling me."

"Bryant. Hmm. What is your connection to...Bryant?", he asks.

"He's someone who I used to date, but he's no longer in my life.", I shrug, taking a bite of my scallops.

"Judging from the way he was looking at you, he wants back in your life. I can't say that I don't blame him."

"Once again, you make a cryptic comment. Mr. Grey, one last time, why did you want to have dinner with me?"

"The truth?" _Finally!_

"Yes, please."

"I want you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"I want you.", Christian says in a deep voice which sends bolts of electricity racing through my body, even in places where I don't want. He leans forward in his seat and locks his grays on to my blues before running his tongue over his bottom lip. "I can't explain why I feel like this, but I do. It's taking all I have not to pull you across this table right now and bite that lip which looks very tasty."

"You're a very bold man, but there's no way in hell I would let that happen. You may think just because you're attractive and powerful that I'll fall to my knees for you, but you couldn't be more wrong so why don't you go and want someone else? I'm sure there's many women who'd like to date you."

"Who said I wanted to date you? I'm not sure what happened to cause you to become so wound up tighter than a two dollar watch, but I've got the perfect way to make you feel better than you have in a long time."

"Let me guess, your way involves us being naked.", I ask as my body continues to betray me.

"Among other things. Now is not the time or place for me to go into detail, but I'd ike to see you again, and from the sound of your sound of your breathing, you want that too." He reaches for a napkin and writes down a phone number, holding it up for me. "This is my personal number which I don't make a habit of giving out to just anyone. I'm going to be busy with work for the next few days, but my schedule should be lighter by Thursday so please call me, and we can make plans to meet somewhere more...isolated." I'm tempted to take the napkin and shove it down his throat, but he'd probably just write down the number again. I could always take it and "accidentally" lost it once I'm away from him.

"I'm going to take it, but I wouldn't wait by the phone if I were you." My fingers brush against his slightly as I take the napkin, but that small touch hitches my breathing even more. "It's getting late so I should be going."

"It's not even eight.", he laughs while I push my chair back and place the napkin in my purse. "Why don't you stay a while longer. After all, the night is still young."

"I need to get work on a draft for the Coping Together article so I can have something for Olivia to look over tomorrow." Laura finishes waiting on the table next to us and moves over to us with her eyes primarily on Christian. "Can I have the ticket for my dinner?" I refuse to feel indebted to him in any way.

"Dinner is on me."

"I appreciate your offer, but I'd like to pay for my meal."

"Two separate tickets or no?", Laura asks

"No. Miss Steele, dinner was my idea so please accept my offer of paying for it." The last thing I want is to stand around and argue over something foolish so I nod my head in agreement. "Great. It'll be one ticket."

After he's paid, he opens the door for me as I step outside where a light breeze fills the air. I'm now regretting my decision to not wear a light sweater with my dress, but I'll be in the warmth of my car soon enough.

"Thank you for dinner.", I tell Christian on the way to my car.

"You're welcome." A tall man with a buzz cut gets out of the black SUV which is parked a few cars away from me, and Christian gives him a slight smile. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Your driver?"

"My security.", he answers. "Although I'm not sure if he could protect me from a hard ass like you." _I will not laugh. I will not laugh._ My words to myself are useless as I begin laughing. Tonight has been very interesting, but I've actually enjoyed myself somewhat.

"I may seem harmless, but that could just be a front."

"What was it you said about not wearing a mask? I knew there was more to you than you were letting on. I sense there's an entire side of you that's begging to be released, and I can be the one who helps you." Instead of responding to his seductive words, I keep walking until I'm at my car. "What is this?"

"This is what they call a car."

"Is it even safe?"

"It's very safe.", I answer, opening my door. His hands snake around my waist and turn me around to face him. Before I know what's happening, he's taking my hand and bringing it up to his lips.

"Don't stay up too late. You need your rest."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Once I'm at home and changed into my comfortable light blue pajamas, I settle on the bed and begin reflecting over the night. Christian did have a point when he said that I'm wound up, but I'm not about to let my guard down for anyone. Still, I can't stop thinking about his offer as I lay my head down. I'm not sure if it's because I haven't had sex in over three months or because I've just had dinner with the sexy Christian Grey, but my body is craving to be touched down _there. _I reach over into the into the top drawer of my nightstand and grab the light pink vibrator which has been my source of stress relief. Slipping it inside of my panties, I turn it on to low speed and begin circling around the outer edges of my sex. The feeling is nice, but it's teasing me. I switch the speed to the higher setting and close my eyes, slipping it inside of my dripping wet clit. Through the darkness of my closed eyes, I'm met by the piercing gray eyes from earlier. _What in the hell? _My hand has a mind of its own as it continues thrusting the vibrator in deeper while imagining that it's Christian Grey ramming into me. I shouldn't be doing this, but the feeling is so intense. My walls are shuddering as my release nears.

"Oh god.", I moan with my orgasm. Could this be a hint of what to expect with Christian Grey?

"Ana, I just got home.", Kate says from the other side of the door. When I got home, she had left a note letting me know that she was heading out to dinner with Audrey. I remove the vibrator and jump off the bed before pressing my head up against the door.

"Ok. I've been home for a while."

"How was dinner?"

"It was ok, nothing special.", I answer.

"Hmm, I don't know if I believe you, but I'm not going to press you for details since I'm exhausted. I think I overdid it a bit today and need to get to bed early so I can make it into work tomorrow."

"Sounds like a good idea." I look over at the left corner of my room where my desks is waiting on me. "I'm going to start on my article."

"All right, but don't stay up too late.", she says with mirroring words to Christian's. "I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

"Ana, I looked over the draft for your article, and I'm impressed.", Olivia says as she stands by my desk the next day at work. "From what I read, you literally put a lot of yourself into the night. I'm sure the Greys were delighted that you participated in the auction."

"They were pleased, but it helped me get a better view of the evening."

"You even went on the date with Christian Grey."

"It wasn't a date. It was dinner.", Kate corrects Olivia who raises a brow. "And I'll be getting back to my work."

"Whether it was a date or dinner, I hope that you had a nice time because you deserve it. We're going to be running the Coping Together article next week so can you get me the finished product by Friday?"

"Sure." The phone on top of my desk soon begins ringing.

"I'll let you get that while I head out for a meeting. Try and hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"Aye aye captain.", Audrey salutes.

"Anastasia Steele.", I answer.

"Miss Steele, how are you?", Christian asks.

"I'm good. How are you?" I turn my chair around so Kate can't see my face blushing. Guilt over pleasuring myself to the image of him is flooding me.

"I'm doing well considering the fact that I've just had to endure an hour long meeting with men who didn't know their ass from the hole in the ground. I needed something to calm me before I step into another meeting so I thought that I'd call and see how the article is coming along."

"I've only got a rough draft so far, but Olivia liked it."

"Rough huh?", he breathes.

"Yes, that's what I said." I press my knees tighter together to help ease the longing that I'm feeling. "Was there anything else that you needed?"

"Besides you? No. I do hope that you've given some thought about my offer. We could be good together."

"Mr. Grey, I really need to get back to work."

"So do I. Have a good rest of the day.", he says, hanging up and leaving me even more confused. He doesn't want to date me so all he must want is sex, but could I deal with just being fuck buddies? I wouldn't have to deal with the usual relationship crap while satisfying my desires. Still, the entire friends with benefits thing rarely works out and someone usually gets hurt.

"I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want some?", Kate asks.

"I'm fine but thanks."

"You're acting strange. Are you sure that nothing happened last night?"

"I'm positive. My mind is just cluttered right now with this article and all."

"Whatever you write will be amazing so don't worry.", she says as she walks away.

Maybe I need to stop worrying and just start living.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

Despite my resolution to start living, I'm still determined to not fall deep into the clutches of a man even if it's the panty dampening Christian Grey. In the past three months, I've become a stronger and more resilient woman, and I plan to remain that way. I've decided to call him l tomorrow, Thursday, as he suggested. For now, my focus is on my article which is almost complete.

"Ladies, I'm going to Foundation tonight if you'd like to tag along.", Daniel Wallace, the magazine's restaurant critic says while leaning against the wall beside Audrey's desk. Although he's known as the office flirt, he's pretty much harmless.

"I've been there a few times and love it so count me in. Kate, Ana, what about you guys?", Audrey asks.

"I'll go.", Kate answers, shifting her eyes from her computer screen to me. _Start living _

"Ana, we promise not to keep you out too late on a school night.", Audrey says. "We can have some drinks and dance. What do you..." Her mouth drops open before finishing the rest of her sentence.

"What's wrong?", Kate asks as she turns her chair around. "Oh hell no. You've got some nerve." There's only person who makes her this angry, Bryant. Taking a deep breath, I lift my head and see him standing by the door. He inches closer to us but comes to a stop when Kate lifts her stapler. "If you come any closer, I'll staple your nuts together, and I really don't want to waste a good staple on a piece of crap like you."

"Ouch.", Daniel winces. "I'm going to get back to work."

"Kate, it's good to see you too.", Bryant mutters. "I'm not here to cause trouble, but I would like to talk to Ana."

"She doesn't want to talk to you so leave."

"Ana is capable of making up her own mind." His eyes go straight to mine while seemingly pushing past the death glares that she's giving him. "Ana, please. I won't take much of your time, but I'd really like to talk."

"Fine, but you only have five minutes.", I tell him through gritted teeth. "Let's go out into the hallway." After getting out of my chair, Kate motions me over to her. "It'll be fine."

"Do you need my stapler?", she asks.

"No, but thanks. I'll be right back."

"Thank you for this.", Bryant smiles once we step into the hallway, far enough from the office so that no one can hear us.

"What do you want?"

"I had an ad pitch with the café down the street and thought that I'd stop by to apologize for the other night. Even though Seattle is a big city, it's not at the same time so we were bound to run into each other at some point. I didn't mean to make things awkward for you."

"You didn't." Ok, maybe things were a bit awkward, but I'm not admitting it.

"We had some good times, didn't we? Remember the time that I tried to put that table together and ended up one extra piece? It was small, but it was the key part that was needed to hold the entire thing together."

"I remember, but what's your point?"

"My point is I know that you hate me, but I also know that you share the same memories as me, memories that you can't just forget."

"Memories which you tarnished.", I hiss. "As for hating you, you're wrong. Hating you would involve having some sort of feeling towards you, but I don't feel anything for you. Nothing." He looks like pained by this revelation, but what does he expect? "You've had your five minutes."

"Ok.", he says, shoving his hands into his pockets before taking a step back. "Take care."

"What did that jerk want?", Kate asks as I settle back down at my desk.

"To apologize for the other night, but he wasted a trip. Back to your plans for tonight, if I can get this article finished by the end of the day, I'll go." Kate takes me surprise by jumping from her chair, running over to me, and then embracing me with a tight hold. "But I'm not going to stay out late."

* * *

Even though it's a weeknight, there's a line of people waiting to get into Foundation when I arrive with Kate and Audrey. Daniel said that he would meet up with us, but there's no sign of him so far. I'm dressed in a black body fitted knee-length dress that's paired with a pair of very uncomfortable black stilettos.

"Ana, I'm so excited that you came out with us. This is going to be a great night!", Audrey exclaims.

"It would be better if Kate hadn't insisted that I wear these shoes.", I say.

"They were the best ones for your dress, and you look hot which trumps comfort any day.", Kate counters. "Finally, here comes Daniel." Daniel comes sauntering up the sidewalk with a grin plastered on his face. "Where have you been?"

"I was getting ready.", he replies. "Call the fire department because the three of you are smoking."

"It's still going to be a while until we get in."

"Chillax ladies because I happen to be friends with the bouncer so follow me and get ready to party." The four of us move past the complaining crowd and head to where the bouncer is manning the doors. The tall, muscular guy can either can either tell us to go in or to get lost. "Mike, what's up?"

"Hey Daniel.", the bouncer says. "It's been a pretty busy night so far."

"Good to hear. My friends and I were hoping to get in there and relax after a long day at work. How about it?"

"The ladies may have put in a hard day, but something tells me that you were lazy as usual."

"Ah, you may have a point.", Daniel laughs.

"Since you're a good guy and your friends are hot, I'll let in."

Music is blaring from all sides as we step into inside. Kate and Audrey are already swaying to the music, but I've never been a very good dancer so I think I'll stay on the sidelines.

"I'm going to get a drink at the bar.", Audrey tells us over the music. "Do you guys something?"

"I'll have an appletini.", Kate answers. "Ana, what about you?"

"Um, I'm going to hold off for a bit longer." We took a cab here tonight, but I'm still not planning to drink a lot.

"Get something so you won't be empty handed."

"I'll have an appletini as well.", I give and tell Audrey.

"Audrey, I'll go and help you with the drinks.", Daniels says.

"I think Daniel has a crush on Audrey, but I'm not sure.", Kate says.

"Daniel likes Audrey? How have I not noticed that?"

"He doesn't make it very obvious, but I've seen hints along the way. Do you remember how he arrived last week with two drinks from Starbuck? He claimed they had messed up his order and given him a non-fat double espresso which happens to be Audrey's favorite."

"I thought it was a bit odd but didn't read much into it.", I shrug.

"Then there was the day that she needed someone to pick her up after her car broke down. The guy pushed everyone out of the way to go for her. It's actually kind of cute seeing him acting in such a way, but I'm not sure if Audrey feels the same way."

"We're back.", Audrey smiles while handing me and Kate our drinks. A tall, dark-haired guy eases through the crowd and steps beside Audrey with the look of man on the prowl.

"Hi. I'm Seth.", he says.

"Hi Seth. I'm Audrey."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman." It's at this time that Daniel conveniently gets choked on his drink.

"I'm ok.", he mutters.

"Would you like to dance?"

"Sure.", she answers. "Daniel, will you hold my drink for me?" He slowly nods his head and takes the drink before she moves out on to the dance floor.

"Daniel, are you ok?", I ask.

"Yeah. The drink just went down the wrong way is all."

"That's not what I was referring to." As I'm trying to think of what to say to him, Kate's eyes light up at a guy standing a few inches away. He's tall with curly blonde hair and goes along with her usual type of guys. "I think we're about to have company." Kate rolls her eyes at me as the guy heads over to us.

"I'm probably going to come off as sounding like some sleaze, but I had to tell you that seeing you is the highlight of my day.", the guys says to Kate. "I'm serious. My day was terrible. After waking up late, I went to work and found out that two of my crew members weren't coming in so that put the day's work behind. What else? Oh, I spilled my soda on my shirt during my lunch break."

"Aww, I'm sorry, but I hope things get better.", Kate says.

"I thought a night out might do the trick so I called my brother and asked him to come along. He had an emergency at work and is running late, but it's ok because the night picked up when I saw you."

"You're very sweet um..." Kate always gets the guy's name before giving out her own.

"Elliot. My name is Elliot, and you are?"

"Kate, and this is Ana and Daniel."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Kate, would you like to hit the dance floor with me?"

"Sure.", she answers, noticing that she's still holding her drink, but she quickly downs it and places the empty glass on a newly unoccupied table. "Guys, I'll be right back."

"And then there were two.", Daniel mumbles before setting Audrey's glass down next to Kate's. Seeing him take in Audrey and Seth's dancing, I hold my hand out for him. "What?"

"Let's dance." While I won't be winning any dance contests in the near future, I'm not going to let Daniel's night go down the drain. "Well?"

"Fine. I'll warn you that I tend to get caught up in the music."

Once we've joined the others out on the dance floor, I begin to let the music flow through my body while ignoring that I have two left feet. Daniel wasn't lying about getting caught up the music, but his dance moves are very out there. He's alternating between doing the robot to the windmill.

"Nice moves.", I giggle.

"Why thank you. Can you believe that I've had no training?", he asks as his eyes go back to Audrey and Seth. "She needs to be with a guy who actually cares, not one who only wants in her pants."

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?" The music is continuing, but his dancing has come to a halt.

"I've been close to telling her, but I've always chickened out. Besides, she only sees me as her friend and co-worker."

"Maybe but maybe not. What if you keep being Mr. Negative and end up regretting it later on? You'll never know the ending if you don't start beginning." As my words leave my mouth, I feel a crackling of electricity in the air around me. The source is standing by the bar with his gray eyes burning with intensity. He grabs a glass from the bar and raises it with a nod in my direction.

"I'm going to take a break.", Kate says while holding Elliot's hand.

"I see my brother finally made it.", Elliot tells us as he glances at the bar. Elliot as in Elliot Grey, Christian's brother. I should have known my night would take an interesting turn. Christian slowly saunters past a group of gawking women who are whispering.

"You're Elliot Grey.", I murmur.

"That's what's on the tag in my boxers.", he laughs. "Just joking. How did you know my last name?"

"I wrote an article on the Coping Together Ball for Seattle Magazine."

"And she went out to dinner with your brother.", Kate adds. "It wasn't a date though."

"Christian, hey. I was just getting to know Kate and her friends a little more, and Ana told me that she's the one who did the article for the ball. Even though it seems we informally know one another, allow me to make the introductions. This is my brother Christian. Little bro, this is Kate, Ana, and Daniel."

"Hello everyone.", Christian says. He turns to me with a devilish grins. "Anastasia, it's nice to see you again."

"You too."

"I'm going to get another drink.", Daniel says.

"Kate and I will go with you.", Elliot announces.

"I've been waiting on your call.", Christian says softly once we're alone.

"It isn't Thursday yet.", I smirk.

"True. I enjoyed watching you dance a few minutes ago, but I didn't like your dance partner. Tell me, is there something going on between you and Daniel?"

"No. He works at the magazine with us and is a friend."

"A friend or a friend with benefits?" I can't believe the nerve of this guy asking me such a question. Does he not think it's possible for a man and woman to simply be friends?

"He's only a friend. You may live in some parallel universe where men and women can't just be friends, but that's not how things are here. Even if I were here on a date with Daniel, what's it to you?" He runs his hands through his hair in frustration and places his mouth right next to my ear.

"I want you, but I don't share what's mine.", he whispers.

"I'm not some possession." Yes all I wanted was a no strings attached thing with him, but I also didn't want to lose myself. That plans seems to be failing. "I refuse to let a man control me." His eyes darken as everyone returns to us. Audrey is now alone, much to Daniel's delight judging from the smile on his face. "I've had fun, but I'm getting tired."

"All right. We can go.", Kate says.

"You guys don't have to leave because of me. Why don't you stay? I can grab a cab back to the apartment."

"Anastasia, I'd be happy to give you a ride.", Christian says with a tiny smile.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm going to pass. I'll see everyone later."

* * *

The cab ride to the apartment is excruciatingly slow. All I want to do is get home and change into my pajamas with a pint of ice cream. I should have never considered any type of relationship with Christian Grey, but more importantly, I shouldn't have let him get to me.

Dragging myself inside, I turn on just the small table lamp in the living room and head to my bedroom to change. I'm relieved to be out of the heels and dress and in the comfort of my pajamas. A small tapping comes across the door while I'm on my way to the kitchen. Since it's almost eleven, I'm wary of opening the door, but it's possible that it's Kate. She has a habit of forgetting her key. Peering through the peep hole, I feel my heart rate jump at the sight of Christian.

"What do you want?", I ask through the closed-door.

"Please open the door." I give in and unlock the door, jerking it open with a scowl.

"Did you follow me here?"

"Yes, but only because you left like you couldn't get away from me fast enough."

"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't leave because of you. Like I said, I'm tired." He's silent for several seconds before lust consumes us and lunges our lips together. His tongue is tangled with mine as we stand in the doorway and kiss. I'm about to place my hand on his chest, but he grabs my wrist to stop me. What's up with that?

"I'll let you get your sleep."

"Ok.", I stammer as he leans in and places a less tame kiss on my lips.

"Laters baby."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Rise and shine Seattle on this rainy Thursday morning.", I hear being blared from my alarm radio. Through my semi-awake state, I'm able to find the off button before rolling on to my back, letting the thoughts that kept me awake practically all night take hold once more. Last night was going well until Christian showed up with a possessive attitude. _"I don't share what's mine." _Just thinking about those words make me want to scream. Having him not only follow me home but also tangle his lips with mine was completely unexpected but not terrible. With my index finger tracing my lips, I can still feel the heat from the kiss. It's flowing from my lips to my stomach and then to my sex. _That kiss!_

Although staying in bed and listening to the rain all day would be nice, I convince myself to get up and start getting ready. Dressed in a pair of black capri pants and a navy three-quarter sleeve button up, I go into the kitchen where Kate is dancing around with a carton of milk in one hand and a box of cereal in the other.

"Good morning.", she grins cheerfully. "Isn't it a beautiful day?"

"Are you delirious? It's raining cats and dogs outside. How does that make it a beautiful day?" She places the milk back in the fridge and turns to me with a gleam in her eye. It's the very same look that she has when she likes a guy. "Ah, it's because of a certain guy by the name of Elliot Grey. I take it things went well for you after I left?"

"Indeed. I'm surprised that you don't have the same attitude considering you have something going on with Elliot's brother."

"I don't have anything going on with Christian."

"That's not what it looked like at the club when the two of you were talking. You were oozing sexual tension, and he coincidentally left right after you. Why is that?" _Why must she be so observant?_

"Why he left when he did is none of my business.", I shrug while placing my bread in the toaster. "The guy is a grown man." _A very attractive grown man who makes my insides quiver. _

"Who clearly has a thing for you which is something that Elliot has never seen before."

"What do mean?"

"Christian's never brought girls around so Elliot thought he was either gay or a secretive monk. You should have heard the excitement in Elliot's voice as he talked about the prospect of you and Christian. Of course, I also shared in the giddiness of you moving on." My toast pops up at the same time as the possibility that Kate filled Elliot in on my relationship woes.

"Did you tell Elliot about Bryant?", I ask. Her lack of response answers the question. "Kate, I can't believe that you told a complete stranger about something so personal."

"I didn't mean to. It kind of slipped out as we were talking. Elliot made the comment that he wanted Christian to find someone who makes him happy, and I said that I hoped for the same for you since your ex had taken away all of your smiles. I'm sorry.", she apologizes, but I'm not in the mood to listen to her excuses. It also occurs to me that Elliot was doing the same to Christian by telling about his life. I suddenly have a need to be protective of him.

"And Elliot shouldn't have given details about Christian's life either. You may like the guy, but you need to be more cautious."

"You're right, but you also need to lower your guard just a bit whether it's with Christian Grey or someone else.", she says. "You deserve to be with someone who gives you back those stolen smiles." It's hard to be mad at Kate when she's only looking out for me. I push my chair back and move over to where she's sitting. "Uh, what are you going to do?"

"Hug my best friend."

* * *

"Ana, do you have a minute?", Olivia asks from the doorway of her office. I know it's about my article which I turned in as soon as I arrived at work. Standing from my chair, I tell myself that it's going to be ok. She liked the draft so she'll like the finished product. "Have a seat."

"Is everything ok?"

"No everything is not ok. Everything is perfect. I have to admit to being a tad worried when you told me yesterday that you would have the article finished a day early, but my concerns evaporated the minute I started reading it. You wrote a detailed article which is going to going to draw the reader in. It's also going to persuade people to help with the Coping Together charity. You should be very proud of yourself."

"Thank you. I hoped that it would help bring in more support for the charity."

"I've already emailed a copy of it to Mrs. Grey, and I'm sure that she's going to love it as much as I do. Look for it in next week's issue."

Striding across the floor back to my desk, I notice that Audrey and Daniel are immersed in a deep conversation. Perhaps he's going with my advice and telling her how he feels. She begins giggling as he turns and starts back to his desk, flashing a thumbs up in my direction.

"Any idea what that was about?", Kate asks.

"Hopefully something good.", I answer. "So, Olivia loved the article."

"Duh. I told you she would. I kind of already made plans with Elliot for tonight, but I can cancel them so we can have dinner and celebrate. My best friend trumps a guy any day."

"Kate, I don't want you to bail on Elliot for me. We can celebrate tomorrow or Saturday."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." She nods and picks up a stack of pages from her desk before standing up.

"Ok. I'm going to take these pages to editing."

After she's walked away, I glance at Daniel and Audrey who are wearing matching grins. It means a lot knowing that my friends are happy, but what about me? Should I start looking out for myself more? Reaching into my purse, I grab the piece of paper with Christian's number.

"Grey.", he answers, but I remain silent, trying to find the right words to say.

"It's Anastasia. Anastasia Steele.", I murmur.

"Anastasia, I was wondering if you were going to call especially after last night, but I'm glad that you did."

"I almost didn't. You said that you wanted to talk to me somewhere more private so why don't you come to my apartment tonight. Kate's going out with your brother so we'll be alone to talk."

"Alone. I like the sound of that.", he laughs. "What time should I be there?"

"I'm not sure what time Kate's going to be gone, but why don't you come at eight?"

"Eight it is then. Laters baby." _Oh my fucking god! _Why did he have to say that?

* * *

After Kate leaves at six thirty to meet Elliot for dinner, I begin to get ready for my "talk" with Christian. I dress in a deep a beige sleeveless blouse and jeans while leaving my hair down. Dinner wasn't discussed, but I threw a frozen pizza in the oven in case he expects food. Of course, being the billionaire CEO that he is, he probably believes that he's above anything but gourmet food. As I'm checking the pizza, I hear three taps on the door.

"Hi.", I say when I open the door. He's dressed in a pair of jeans and a gray v-neck sweater which displays his toned biceps. _Snap out of it! _

"Hello."

"Uh, come in. I wasn't sure if you wanted dinner so I tossed a frozen pizza in the oven."

"What kind?", he asks.

"Pepperoni, but it probably won't meet your standards so we can skip it."

"Frozen pizza, particularly pepperoni, happens to be one of my favorite food." _Crap! _At the sound of the oven buzzer, I move past him and head to the kitchen, feeling him watching my every move.

"Can you grab two plates from the cabinet behind you?" He smiles _that_ smile and reaches for the plates.

Once the pizza is cut and placed on our plates, I pour two glasses of water and lead us into the living room where I purposely make sure my seat is on the opposite side of him.

"Before we begin, I've got something for you.", he says as he pulls a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his jeans. "This is an NDA, a non-disclosure agreement. Basically, it says that what we discuss will remain between us. It's nothing personal. In the business that I'm in, I can't take chances." Even though part of me is shocked, the other part understands where he's coming from. I take it from his hand and begin to read over it before grabbing a pen from the coffee table.

"Here you go.", I say.

"Any questions?"

"You built your empire from the ground up so you're looking out for yourself which is something that I've grown accustomed to myself."

"Anastasia.", he sighs. "I want to apologize for last night."

"You're sorry for the kiss?", I ask. Do I want him to be regret the kiss which kept me awake all night?

"Fuck no. I'm not sorry at all about the kiss. I'm sorry for how I treated you at the club. I came off sounding territorial, but I apologize." He actually sounds sincere. "This entire thing is new for me.", he points from him to me.

"Can I confess something and not have you use it against me?" He drops his slice of paper on to the plate and nods. "When you first started your little campaign."

"Campaign?", he smirks, making me irritated. "I'm sorry. Go on."

"Maybe I should hit remind. I was in a relationship for three years with a guy who was my everything or so I thought."

"The bastard from the auction, Bryant?"

"Yes, that would be the bastard. I found him with another woman, the one who you embarrassed. It was a kick to the gut for me, but it was also like an awakening. If that hadn't happened, I don't know if I would have discovered how my full strength. People have been telling me that I need to move on, but I don't want to lose what I found in myself. Does that make sense?"

"It does. Bryant is a class A fucker for messing up what he had with you. He had this jewel right in front of him, but I'm going to be selfish and admit that I'm glad that he did." He shifts forward in his seat on the sofa and allows me to look deeper into his eyes.

"I like you, but I like myself more which is why I'm hesitant."

"Again, I understand, but I want you to know that you're not the only one who's scared. This thing with us is new for me."

"Before you continue, what is this thing? Are we going to be fuck buddies or what?", I ask.

"I'm not going to lie and say that I don't want to fuck you into next week." _And here comes the moisture! _"At the restaurant, when I offered you something to ease you, I was referring to my way of life." An ominous feeling swells in my body as I take a long sip of my water to prepare for what's to come.

"Which is?", I stammer.

"The reason this is new for me is because I've never dated women before. I'm into BDSM." Ok, I was not expecting that. "I've never had a girlfriend since all the women I've been with have been my subs."

"Holy shit! This explains the _mine _comment you made.", I snap as I leap to my feet. "You are barking up the wrong tree if you think I'm going to let you dominate me."

"Would you listen for a minute?"

"Why? So you can say naughty things to me in hopes that I'll change my mind? Not happening!"

"Just hear me out. That's all I'm asking."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Just hear me out. That's all I'm asking.", Christian pleads. "If you want me to leave when I'm finished, I'll go and never bother you again." He just dropped a huge bombshell on me, but what harm could come from listening to what he has to say? _Give him a chance._

"All right. I'll listen.", I state with my arms crossed. "Talk."

"Tell me, when you were doing research for your article, did you learn that I'm adopted?"

"No. I wasn't aware of that."

"Miss Steele, I'm shocked.", he says with a smirk. "My parents adopted not only me but Elliot and Mia. We came from different families so I don't know what their situation was before. Mine, however, was not so pleasant. My birth mother was more focused on getting her next fix than on taking care of her son. Her priorities were her pimp and then drugs. I was no where in the mix. " My jaw almost hits the floor at this revelation. Even though hearing this may help explain him better, I'm not sure if I should be privy to such personal information.

"Perhaps we should put this conversation on hold and get back to our pizza which is probably getting cold."

"I'm actually fond of cold pizza. Besides, I've already told you that I don't do things half ass so why should I start now?"

"Fine.", I murmur. "Continue."

"When I was around four, she killed herself, leaving alone with her body for four days. I suppose since she never took care of me in the first place that it wasn't much of a difference. The police finally came and took her body away while I was taken to the hospital. It was there that Grace found me. Here I was this malnourished child who didn't even talk, and she wanted me. For the first time in my life, I was wanted. She and Carrick adopted me and then Elliot. Mia's arrival a few years later was the catalyst in getting me to talk.", he recalls. The dark tone of his voice eases somewhat as he talks of Mia.

"I'm sorry that you had such a horrific beginning to life. No one especially an innocent child should be subjected to that.", I say as I sit back down across from him. The thought of the strong man before me having to endure hell as a child is nauseating.

"Don't get me wrong, having the Grey family adopt me was the best thing that could ever happen to me, but I was far from the perfect child growing up. I can't even tell you how many times my parents would get a call from the school telling them about me getting into a fight. My grades were just as bad as my attitude. Of course, my parents were concerned and sent me to a therapist, but I tuned him out during our sessions. I needed something to help me get back on track and take control."

"And you found that in your um...way of life?" He takes a small bite of his pizza and nods before wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

"When I was fifteen, a family friend introduced me to the world of BDSM."

"She must have been a knowledgable fifteen year old."

"Actually, she wasn't fifteen. She was around my mother's age." The wave of nausea from before returns at the unsettling news. _Deep breath Ana._ I take hold of my water glass go for the world's longest sip. "I know this is a lot to process, and maybe you were right to suggest that we table the discussion."

"We've come this far so we might as well take it all the way."

"You want to take it all the way?", he teases. A dab of wetness develops in my panties at his double-sided comment.

"Our talk Christian. We should take our talk all the way. Get your mind out of the gutter." _And yours as well Ana. _"How did this pedophile bring you into BDSM?"

"She wasn't a pedophile. I was more than willing. I was doing some yard work for her one day when I decided to get smart with her so she slapped me. It was a shock, but the bigger shock came afterwards when she kissed me. Ana, I was a fifteen year old boy whose hormones were raging so I left more than turned on. The next day, she kissed me again, minus the slap. She told me about her secret lifestyle and offered to show me. I agreed, and that was the beginning of our relationship."

"She was the one who dominated?", I ask.

"She was. Every single infliction of punishment helped me get one step closer to the right path. My grades started getting better, and the fighting ceased."

"How long did it go on?"

"Seven years, but even after it ended I was left with a yearning for the same very same control she exhibited over me. It was like needing air to survive so I decided to take on submissives."

"Women who allow you to punish them for your pleasure.", I snap.

"And theirs. Punishment takes place when they misbehave, but when they follow the rules, they're rewarded. Now you know more about me." _I'll say!_

"I have one more question for you, and I need you to be honest with me." This is it. How he answers my question will no doubt either make or break whatever this thing with us is. "Since having women submit to you is all you know, is that your plan for me?" It's his turn to stand up, staring at me with his scorching grays.

"The truth? Initially, yes, but it was very brief thought. It was during our little non-date that it became clear to me that you don't have a submissive bone in your body. When I realized that, I thought about walking away, but I couldn't. You see, in a small amount of time, you've gotten under my skin. After I got home from the club, it took forever for me to fall asleep, and when I finally did, you were in my dreams. It was like I was looking through a window of what could be, and it was fucking amazing. Never have I had any desire to be more with a woman, but you, you Anastasia Steele have changed that." He could be bullshitting me, but something in his voice is telling me that he's being truthful which makes things even more terrifying.

"How can you be so sure that you can turn your dominant side off with the snap of a finger?"

"I'll admit that it's not going to be an easy transition, but it's one that I'm willing to try. I've already scheduled more workout time with my trainer to help with my stress so that's a step. My question for you is this, will you take that step with me or should I walk away?" He moves over to where I'm sitting and bends down with his hand extended to me. Taking a chance with him is scary and against everything I had planned, but not seeing again is something that I am sure I can do.

"I don't..", I stammer. His hand falls along with his eyes.

"I understand. It was worth a try, right?" He's back on his feet and picking up the NDA before I have a chance to finish processing things. "I've got an early meeting so I should get going. Thank you for the pizza and hearing me out." With him heading to the door, I jump to my feet and stand in from him as a barricade.

"Christian, I'm not saying no."

"You're not?", he asks with hope displayed in the smile on his face.

"I need some time to think. I promise it won't be long, but I just need to evaluate all of what's been thrown at me."

"I've never been a patient man, but I can give you time." I stand on my toes and press a small kiss on his cheek as he closes his eyes. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"Now that we can stop and catch our breath, what did you do last night?", Kate asks the next morning as we take a break at work. By the time she arrived home last night, I was asleep, and she overslept this morning so we haven't had much time to talk.

"Nothing exciting. I cooked a pizza and watched a dvd.", I shrug, hoping she believes my lie.

"Cool. What movie did you watch?" Any other time I'd be able to think of a movie, but my mind is completely blank in this moment.

"Uh, I watched The Notebook, and I actually cried for the first time in forever."

"The Notebook, huh? Didn't I accidentally step on that and break it?" A knowing smile is on her face, but I refuse to give in. "How did you watch it?"

"Did I say a dvd? What I meant to say was that it was on tv."

"Your voice gets a little higher when you're not telling the truth.", she grins.

"No it doesn't.", I scoff, wondering if she's right. "Since you're so interested in my night, why don't we shift gears and discuss yours."

"Ok. Elliot and I had dinner and then went bowling which was fun. I took great pride in getting not one but two strikes. My prize was a steamy make out session and dinner for next week."

"Good for you. He seems like a nice guy." I admit that I'm a little jealous of Kate and her take charge attitude. She gets out there and does her thing while I end up running to my corner to hide. I keep telling myself that I'm going to start taking chances, but fear of getting hurt is what's holding me back. The office door opens and a guy carrying a large bouquet of daffodils begins walking towards us. "Looks like Elliot sent you some flowers."

"Excuse me, but I'm looking for Anastasia Steele.", he says.

"Uh, that's me.", I answer while he hands me the flowers. "Thank you."

"Have a good day."

"Who sent them?", Kate asks.

"I don't know." Taking the attached card in my hand, I read the handwritten message.

**Anastasia, **

**I'm trying hard to be patient, but I'm failing miserably. Whatever you decide, I'll accept, but I wanted to send you these daffodeils. They are a representation of new beginnings, and what I hope will come for you, whether it be with me or on your own journey. I only want the best for you because you deserve it and so much more.**

**Christian**

"Kate, that fax still hasn't gone through.", Audrey says from her desk. Kate smiles at me and then the flowers as she gets up to get the fax.

"I'm going to see what's going on with that.", she says. Once she's out of hearing distance, I grab my phone to call Christian so I can thank him for the flowers. After several rings, I begin to wonder if he's going to answer, but I hear him finally pick up.

"Did you get the daffodils?", he asks.

"Yes and thank you. They're lovely. I was calling to thank you and tell you that I've already made my decision."

"Oh so soon? Um, ok."

"I like the idea of a new beginning, but I kind of need some company along the way."

"I see."

"Do you think you might want to be tag along?", I ask with a smile. This is it. I'm stepping out of that corner.

"Miss Steele, it would be my pleasure."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Ana, I've been wanting to talk to you.", Daniel says while pouring a cup of coffee in the break room. "I took your advice and told Audrey how I feel." I take a seat at the small round table in the corner of the room and wave for him to join me.

"I was wondering if that was the reason behind the goofy grins you've been giving each other. I take it she feels the same way?"

"Surprisingly, yes. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders just by telling her, but when she said that she likes me too, I was in shock. Although things could be tricky with us working together, we're going to give it a try. We're having dinner tomorrow night in fact." It seems like tomorrow night is going to be the night for taking chances. Once I told Christian that I was willing to take a chance, he asked me out for tomorrow night.

"I'm glad that you told her. Just think if you had kept mum."

"Thank goodness that I didn't and listened to you. I owe you big time.", he smiles. "If there's anything that you ever need, let me know."

"I appreciate that, but there's no need to repay me. I was simply being a friend." I push my chair back and stand up while he continues drinking his coffee. "And now this friend needs to get back to work. I'll see you later."

On the way back to my desk, I spot Kate looking at the daffodils on my desk. I can tell that she's dying to get confirmation on who sent them, but I'm going to make her wait a while longer.

"Are you still not going to tell me who sent those?"

"I told you that I don't know.", I smirk, going back to my work.

"But there was a card. The card had to have said something. Why don't you just tell me.", she pouts. "I already have an idea, but it would be better if you said a name.", she pouts.

"Fine, a name." She rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out just as Olivia returns from a meeting. She stops by our desks and narrows her eyes at Kate. "Hi Olivia. I was just..um..finishing up my article on the upcoming art festival."

"While harassing Ana?", Olivia asks with a raised brow. "Kate, you're such a multitasker." I place a folder in front of my face to hide my laughter. "All right ladies, I'm going to my office where I'll be working on the set up for next week's article." She turns and begins walking towards her office, but stops and turns back to us. "Love the daffodils by the way."

* * *

After work, I head downstairs to our building's laundry room while Kate goes to the gym. I'm moving a load of towels from the washing machine to the dryer when my phone buzzes from my back pocket. Turning the dryer on, I see that it's Christian calling. I made the decision at work to finally give him my personal number since all of our previous calls have been from my work phone. If I'm going to try things, I owe it to him.

"Hello.", I answer.

"Anastasia, I hope that I'm not bothering you.", he says.

"Oh yes, you're interrupting me while I do my laundry. How dare you?" He's silent for a few second before finally laughing. "Yes, it was a joke, not the best though."

"It took me a minute to realize it. I was calling for two reasons. Tell me, are you washing any delicates. Panties perhaps?" My panties are instantly as damp as the clothes in the machine.

"Wouldn't you like to know?", I tease. "Maybe I don't wear panties. Have you thought about that?" It seems my new lease on life also includes the ability to be bolder and more flirtatious.

"Fuck.", he hisses.

"Is there a reason for your call Mr. Grey?"

"Why yes there is. I was calling to find out if you have a certain interest like going to the movies or taking long walks on the beach. I'm trying to get an idea on how to plan tomorrow night." He sounds nervous as I remind myself that he's new to the dating thing. "I don't want to start things off on the wrong foot."

"I'm not particular and will no doubt like whatever you plan."

"Ok. I'll think of something. This is nice.", he says as I sit down on a small bench. "Us talking like this. I'm glad that you finally gave me your cell number. I mean I could have gotten it on my own easily, but I wanted to get it straight from you. I wanted you to trust me enough to have it."

"It's a small step, but a step none the less. My laundry is almost finished so I'm going to say goodbye now."

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Yes you will.", I say, waiting to see if he hangs up first, but I can still hear him breathing on the other end. "You ca hang up now."

"Ladies first.", he chuckles. "On the count of three, we both hang up. 1..2..3." Neither of us give in. "Fine, I'll hang up first. Laters baby." _Fuck!_

"I was wondering where if you would still be doing laundry when I got back.", Kate smiles when I arrive back at the apartment. Even though she's been working out, she still looks like she stepped out of a magazine.

"How was the gym?" I place the basket of clean towels on the sofa and begin to fold them. She settles in the arm-chair across from me and takes a deep breath.

"It was tiring. I spent thirty minutes on the treadmill and then another thirty on the elliptical. By the time I was done, I could barely walk. Remind me again why I went."

"So you would have an excuse not to do laundry.", I laugh. "Now that you've exhausted yourself, what are you planning on doing for the rest of the night?"

"Nada, nothing. I don't know if I can even get out of this chair. That's how tired I am, but tomorrow will be a different story. The two of us are having dinner to celebrate your big article."

"About that, can we postpone it until another day. I kind of already have plans tomorrow night."

"Plans? I like the sound of that. Would those plans happen to include a guy?", she asks as I finish folding a towel. "You've got a date! Hot damn!" She finds her second wind and jumps from the sofa and begins dancing around in circles while waving her arms. "Ana's got a date. A d-a-t-e. Oh yeah!"

"That is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. You're acting like someone who's won the grand prize on a game show. It's just a date.", I insist.

"With the same guy who sent the daffodils? You might as well go ahead and tell me his name."

"Kate, I think you already know who sent them."

"Yes, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"Christian Grey. Happy? Before you start planning our wedding, I want to inform you that we're taking things slow, getting to know each other. I don't want to rush with this."

"I get it. I do. I'm just glad that you're taking a chance."

* * *

"Deep breath Ana. It's just a date.", I whisper to myself while standing in front of the floor length mirror in my bedroom. I turn to the right and then the left to make sure my outfit is the right choice for tonight. I texted Christian earlier and asked how I should dress, and he answered casual so I'm wearing a white tank, dark blue blazer, jeans, and black flats. I grab my purse and step out of my room as I hear a knock at the door. From her spot on the sofa, Kate places her magazine down and runs to the door.

"Um, hi. I'm here to pick up Ana.", Christian says nervously.

"Yes. She told me that you're taking her out tonight. Why don't you come in?" I step into the room and get my first glimpse of Christian whose dressed in a black long sleeve dress shirt and jeans. Before he greet me, Kate holds her hand up. "I'm going to warn you that I'm well trained in martial arts. It's not something that I tell many people since I don't want to come off as a show off or scare them, but I will not hesitate to use my skills on you if you hurt her. Are we clear?"

"Crystal.", he replies.

"Ok Kate, I think he gets the idea. Hi."

"Hi. You look gorgeous."

"Thank you. Why don't we go before she decides to show some of her moves?", I giggle.

"Don't be too late but have fun."

"Nice car.", I smile when we arrive at a black Audi R8 Spyder that's parked on the curb in front of my building.

"Why thank you." Christian opens the passenger door for me, but I remain standing on the concrete. "Have you changed your mind?"

"No. I've never my door opened for me before." He smiles with relief and goes to his side. "Where's your security tonight?"

"I didn't think I would need him, but I might have to have him run interference if Kate decides to kick my ass with her training."

"She was joking, but she means well. Kate's been there for me through a lot and has always had my back. I'm sure it's the same way with your friends." He moves his eyes briefly off the road and shakes his head.

"I don't have many friends.", he murmurs. I'm not sure how to respond to this. He continues driving in silence, glancing at me every few seconds. We soon come to a the entrance of the Pacific Science Center. "I didn't know what to do tonight, but I wanted you to feel relaxed with me so I'm hoping this is ok."

"It's great.", I answer truthfully. In the few times that I've been here, I've enjoyed myself.

"This is one of my favorite places in the city, but I rarely get a chance to come here." After he parks the car, he gets out and runs to my side to open the door. "Are you sure this is ok?"

"Christian, it's perfect. There's no need to be nervous." I wish I could take my own advice.

"I'm trying, but this is my first time on a date so I want everything to go smoothly." I surprise him by taking his hand in mine.

"If it's any consolation, this is my first "first" date in over three years. Come to think of it, it's my first date in forever. My ex was always making excuses about why he couldn't go out."

"He has to be the most idiotic man on the planet.", he sighs. "Shall we go?"

"Aren't they already closed for the day?", I ask as we begin walking, hand in hand.

"Anastasia, have you forgotten who you're with?"

"My mistake. You can call me Ana if you'd like." We arrive at the center's lighted arches which rise above a court of reflecting pools. The colors vary day to day, and tonight they're blue. "Beautiful."

"Indeed.", he says, looking at me instead of the display before us. "I arranged for them to be blue like your eyes. As I've said, I think and dream about you and those blue eyes."

"For a man who's new to this, you're doing good so far." The air around us is thick with electricity as I shift my body closer to his. I can see in his eyes that he wants to kiss me as much as I want him to, but he moves back.

"We should get inside.", he mutters.

When we step inside, the lights magically come on. I turn to Christian who's amused by my wide eyes. He points to the side of the room where a man dressed in a suit is standing with a small smile.

"That's George. He works here and is the one responsible for the lights coming on. I may be a man of many talents, but I don't know magic." George nods when we pass by him and head through the building. "I think it's time that we eat." Christian opens the door leading to the planetarium. Once we step inside, I see a table in the middle of the room.

"We're having dinner in here?"

"I thought it would be nice to eat under the stars and planets.", he replies while pulling my chair out for me. A few seconds later, George enters the room with a tray containing two covered plates and a bottle of white wine. "Do you like chicken marsala?"

"It's one of my all time favorite dishes. Mr. Grey gets another point on the board." The lights go off but are replaced by the glow of the sky above us. I take a bite of the chicken before admiring the constellations.

"Ok, I want to know more about you. What's your favorite color?"

"Purple. Yours?"

"Gray. I know it's kind of ironic.", he shrugs. "Favorite kind of music?"

"I don't really have a favorite kind. I listen to just about anything.", I reply.

"Same here. We have more in common than we thought. Oh, Superman or Spiderman?"

"Really? You're asking me this? Tsk tsk. The answer is neither. Everyone knows that Batman is the best." He almost gets choked on his wine at my answer. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. In regards to the superhero question, my choice is Batman as well."

* * *

We spend the rest of dinner talking and getting to know each other more. It feels nice to ease my guard for once and not worry about the past. Christian isn't Bryant. He's a man who, like me, wants a new beginning.

"This has been an incredible night.", I say after we finish eating. I point up to the revolving stars above and smile. "I've had a really great time. I know that I wasn't the nicest person to you at first, and I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize.", he assures me. "You were protecting yourself." He stands up and extends his hand to me. "I've got one more thing to show you." I take his hand and follow him out of the room and then through the exit sign. When we get outside, I see five towering flower sculptures that are lit.

"This wasn't here the last time I visited."

"It's a new exhibit called Sonic Bloom. All of it is done by solar power. The sun shines through the petals during the day and makes them glow while they light up at night. My fondness for solar power drew me to this."

"Wow. I love this."

"Ok, I'm going to sound cheesy when I say this, but what you are to me is similar to the way the solar power is to these flowers. Since meeting you, I've smiled and laughed more than I can remember. You make me glow." For the second time tonight, I shift closer to him and hope that he doesn't back away again. "I wanted to kiss you earlier, but with this being our first date, I didn't want to push my luck." My hands move to the side of his face as I stand on my toes.

"Why don't we hit rewind and title our non-date a date? That would make this our second date." His mouth lowers towards mine.

"All right.", he breathes. "This is our second date so I'm going to kiss you now."

"You better.", I demand as our lips collide together.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Are you sure that you had a nice time?", Christian asks when we arrive back at my apartment building. I unbuckle my seat belt and lean over to him, kissing him for the fifth or so time this evening. I lost count after the first kiss which was WOW. "I take that as a yes."

"The answer is definitely yes. Every single detail of tonight was incredible. I'm sure that it took a lot of effort to plan."

"Miss Steele, you're more than worth the effort. I was nervous as hell going into night, but once it began, I started to feel more relaxed."

"I'm glad to hear that because I'd like to do this again. We don't have to have an exact repeat of the night, but I'd like to go out with you again. I mean that's if you want to go again. If you don't, I completely understand. Well, not completely because I thought you this is what you wanted as well.", I ramble before he places his finger index finger on my lips.

"Hey, I do want to do this again. Just name a time and place, and I'll be there."

"Ok. I'll get back to you on that."

After unbuckling his seat belt, he opens his door and sprints around the car to open mine. Our hands are linked together as we head into the building and step into the elevator. Silence fills the small space while we stare at each other, feeling the tension between us simmer. I unconsciously find myself biting my lip as he stares at me with darkened eyes. Before I can comprehend what's happening, my back is against the elevator wall while our tongues are greedily exploring each others' mouths as my hands move through his hair. I can feel his hardening length pressing against my stomach. The elevator comes to a halt and causes me to shift, thus breaking us apart.

"What is it about elevators?", he asks while I adjust my clothes. "I don't know how long much longer I could have gone without fucking you against that wall so I suppose it's a good thing we stopped when we did."

"Did you not want to um...fuck me against the wall?"

"Baby, I want nothing more than to explore every single inch of that delectable body of yours, but I also don't want to rush things.", he says.

"You're right. We should probably stick to just kissing for now.", I say, kissing him one last time.

"Kissing you has become my new favorite thing." He takes my hand and leads me out of the elevator and towards my apartment.

"I'm going to sound like a broken record, but once again, thank you for tonight."

"You're more than welcome." He leans his ear against the door for a few seconds before breaking out into a wide grin. "Kate, you'll be happy to know that she's safe and sound back home." I narrow my eyes at the door and wonder if he's simply joking.

"Consider yourself lucky that don't I don't have to use my martial arts on you.", she mumbles from the other side.

"Kate, can we have some privacy, please?", I ask. A few seconds pass before I hear her grumble and stomp away. "I guess this is where we say goodnight."

"Unfortunately.", he smiles. I feel the warmth of his breath as his lips close in on mine. It's a soft yet passionate kiss that will no doubt lead to a peaceful night of dreaming. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He flashes one last smile before turning to walk away. My eyes stay on him until he's back on the elevator and out of sight. I fish my key out of my purse and open the door to find Kate sitting at the kitchen table with her head propped up on her chin, trying him best to be oblivious.

"Ana, are you already home?", she smirks. I toss my purse on to the sofa and join her in the kitchen. "I've got an idea. Why don't I make you some tea while you tell me about your evening?" She jumps from her seat and begins making the tea while I grab a box of Milano cookies from the cupboard.

"What was it that I said about not making a big deal over my date?", I ask, only to have her wave me off.

"You really didn't expect me to not want some sort of detail about the evening did you?" She pours the tea into two cups and places them on the table as I hand her a plate for her cookies. "You don't have to tell me everything. Just tell me if you had a nice time."

"I had a wonderful time. He took me to the Pacific Science Center where we had dinner in the planetarium."

"Dinner under the stars, nice move."

"It was. Of course that was after seeing the arches which he arranged to have lit up in blue like my eyes." I can't hide the giddy schoolgirl grin as I talk about the evening. The night ended with us looking at the new Sonic Bloom exhibit which is very cool. The entire evening was nice, but my favorite part of it was the conversations. He genuinely wanted to know more about me and listened. Bryant was often too absorbed in himself to care about what I wanted or what I had going on. I don't know if he ever asked me how my day went."

"That's because he was a selfish two-timing bastard.", she hisses.

"I'm not going to argue with you on that, but looking back now, I can see that he stopped caring before Rachel ever came into the picture." I take a bite of my cookie and run my finger along the top rim of my cup. "I think I settled with him."

"What do you mean?"

"I think even though deep down I knew that we weren't meant for each other I stayed because I wasn't sure if I could find someone else."

"Sweetie, look at me. Never, and I mean never think you have to settle."

"What did yo do tonight besides waiting on me to get back?"

"I ordered some chinese and watched some tv for a while until Ethan called. Guess what? He's going to be in town in a few weeks. How awesome is that?" Kate's brother Ethan is two years older than us and although he was accepted to graduate school to study psychology, he's decided to put that on hold and "discover himself."

"Still not going to graduate school?", I ask.

"Nope. My mom is still fine with the idea of him taking time off, but my dad is starting to anxious for Ethan to go back to school. I can't say that I don't blame Ethan. He buried himself in his schooling that he just wants to enjoy life for a bit. It's not like he's saying no to graduate school. He's simply planning on doing it later."

"I can see his point on that. Where does he plan to stay?"

"Funny you should ask because I kind of told him that he could stay here if you're ok with it. The sofa is a fold out so he can sleep there. It's only going to be for a few days, and we'd barely know that he's around. What do you say?", she asks.

"It's fine with me.", I shrug before yawning. She cocks her head to the side and grins.

"Did someone wear you out?", she teases. I stand up and place my cup and plate before yawning again. "Damn girl. He really did."

"Nothing like that happened so get your mind out of the gutter. We did, however, share a kiss." With a furrowed brow, she pounces out of her chair and in front of me. "Ok, there might have been a few more."

"How many more?"

"More than five but less than ten.", I reply. "You now know all there is to tell so I'm going to call it a night." I move past her and start down the hallway to my bedroom, feeling her eyes on me the entire time. "And no, I don't plan on getting my BOB out so don't go there."

"You know me all too.", she giggles. "Don't sleep too late in the morning because I want us to have brunch and do some shopping." I turn around and see that she's now standing in front of her door. "Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"What do I want?", Kate mumbles while scanning the menu at Glo's Cafe. "I can't make up my mind."

"You always say that, and then you always end up getting the Eggs Florentine."

"Mmm, that does sound good."

"Kate, Ana, have you decided?", our waitress, Chloe, asks when she arrives at our table. Glo has long been one of our favorite dining places so we're on a first name basis with a much of the staff.

"I'm going to have the Belgian waffle and toast along with orange juice.", I answer. Kate's eyes are still on the menu as Chloe waits for her decision.

"I'll go with the Eggs Florentine.", she finally says. "And orange juice."

"I would've never guessed.", Chloe laughs. "I'll have your order out soon."

While we're waiting on our food to arrive, Kate pulls out her phone and begins texting. The blush on her face tells me that she's texting Elliot. I'm tempted to text Christian just to say hi, but I stop myself. He's probably already awake, but he could be busy. Chloe comes to the table and places our dishes in front of us.

"How's Elliot?", I ask when Kate places her phone down to take a bite of her food.

"Elliot is good. We're going out sometime this coming week. What about your guy? Have you heard from him this morning?"

"He's not my guy."

"Yeah, yeah, you're taking it slow. Elliot and I are taking things slow as well.", she insists, but I laugh at the comment. "Laugh all you want, but we're waiting to have actual sex. Phone sex doesn't count."

"I'm not sure if I want to hear this."

"If the guy is as good doing the real thing as he is over the phone, I won't be able to walk straight for a week." I reach for my juice and take a long sip while trying to get the image she just painted out of my head. "We've sexted some too."

"There are times that I love how open and honest you are, and there are times that I wish you would hold back a bit. This is one of the times that I wish you would be a little more reserved."

"You and I both know if Christian sent you a dirty text or started phone sex, you would go along with it. Don't try to deny it." I wipe some syrup from the corner of my mouth as my phone buzzes with a new text. I continue eating my food as Kate waits for me to look at the text. "Why don't you check your phone?"

"I'm eating my food now and will check my phone after I've finished. You should get back to your food before it gets cold." I admit that I'm trying to be patient and not look at the phone.

"And there goes my appetite.", she groans with her eyes on the door. I shift in my seat and see Rachel and another girl standing by the front door of the restaurant. "They seriously need a No Skanks Allowed sign on the door."

"We can't control where she goes. If she wants to eat here, fine. I could care less.", I say. I turn back around, only to Kate's eyes widen to let me know that Rachel is approaching.

"Ana, hi.", Rachel grins from the side of the table. Kate's hand goes to her juice glass, and I can see that it's taking all she has not to throw it.

"Hi.", I murmur.

"You must be Kate, Ana's best friend who Bryant's mentioned."

"That mother..", Kate snaps. "I mean Bryant's talked about me?"

"Right after the breakup. He said that he was happy knowing that Ana has you in her life to help her cope."

"I'm always here for Ana, but she doesn't need me or anyone for that matter to help her cope. She's a strong woman who can take on anything and anyone on her own. Bryant just never gave her enough credit."

"Is there some reason you decided to stop by our table?", I ask

"Just saying hi. My friend Dawn and I are having brunch while Bryant plays golf with some friends. We're meeting up later and going to a movie.", she says with a fake smile

"Good for you."

"We've talked about marriage. I have a feeling that it'll happen sooner or later which is why I'm going ahead and telling you. I'd hate for you to feel bombarded once it happens."

"Rachel, one thing that you and Bryant both seem to not understand is that fact that I don't give a damn what happens between the two of you. You guys could take a trip to Mars, and I could care less. The day that I found you two together was an eye-opening experience which I'm actually grateful for so thank you both."

"You still want him. It's written all over your face."

"Um why would Ana want him when she has Christian Grey? It's like saying you'd rather have chopped liver instead of filet mignon.", Kate snaps. "There is no comparison."

"The two of you did look cozy at the Coping Together Ball."

"Rachel, we should get to our table.", Dawn says.

"All right. Well, ladies, it's been fun."

"Why did you tell her about Christian?", I ask Kate once Rachel and Dawn have walked away.

"I wanted her to know that you're not still hung up on Bryant. Are you upset with me?"

"I'm not upset. I just don't want Rachel knowing my business. I'm almost ready. How about you?"

"I'm going to the restroom and then we can go."

After Kate heads to the restroom, I give in and grab my phone to check my message. Small tingles rush through my body when I see that it was indeed Christian who texted.

***Good morning.***

***Morning*, **I text back. A few seconds pass before another text comes through.

***What are you up to?***

***Finishing breakfast with Kate and then shopping. You?***

***Just got back from a run and workout.* **I bite my lip and make sure that Kate's not looking over my shoulder.

***I bet you have sweat dripping from your body ;)***

***Yes I do. It's dripping all over my body. What do you think about that?* **I'm damp just by his text. Fuck.

***I may be dripping as well. Would you clean me up?**

***Of course. I'd lick all up and down your body. I bet you taste so sweet down there. I'm so fucking hard."**

"Ready?", Kate asks as she interrupts my sexting.

"I've got to use the restroom. Be right back." I rush past her and head to the restroom, checking underneath the stalls to make sure that I'm alone. I can't believe that I'm about to do this. I push the toilet seat down and take a seat, moving my free hand inside my panties while the other holds the phone.

***I could help you. Imagine my lips locked around that throbbing cock of yours while my hand glides up and down you. I take you in just a few inches at first. You're so big.**

***You have no idea.***

***I lick you from the base to the tip, giving your balls a slight tug. I finally take you all the way in. Your eyes are on me the entire time as I shove you in and out of my mouth. Do you like that?" **My fingers are moving faster and deeper inside my wetness. I lean my head back as I imagine him being here with me.

***Shit Ana, I'm here stroking myself and about come. **

***You're in so deep. I begin to fuck you harder with my mouth. Your moans are in sync with the wet sound of taking you in and out of my mouth. Come for me.* **There's a pause between texts.

***Holy hell.* **I try to hold back my scream as I find my release.

***FYI, I don't have a gag reflex***

"I was about to go in there to check on.", Kate says when I join her back at the table. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I feel fantastic.", I grin.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Would it be ok if Elliot stops by for a bit?", Kate asks while I'm lounging on the sofa following our shopping trip. I lower the volume on the tv and turn around with a nod.

"Kate, you don't have to ask for my permission."

"I know, but today was going to be just us, and I don't want you to think I'm passing you over for him. He just texted me and said that he was around the corner grabbing some food so I thought why not invite him over for a while."

"The two of us have already spent half the day together so if you want Elliot to come over, he can." She runs around the sofa and pulls me into a hug just as there's a knock at the door. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Stop thanking me and get the door.", I giggle.

After turning the tv off, I uncurl my legs and stand up while she greets Elliot at the door. Elliot's arms go around Kate's waist as I see that he's not alone. Standing behind him is Christian, my sexting cohort. I'm still in utter shock that I sexted him especially since I told him just last night that I wanted to take things slow. _Nothing says going slow like getting him off!_

"Christian, hi. Ana, look who's here.", Kate says with a sly grin. I think I've been played. He moves past her while Kate and Elliot look on at the two of us.

"Hey."

"Hi. How have you been?", I ask.

"I've been great. I was sitting at home worn out from my workout when Elliot called and asked me to join him for lunch." With his back to Kate and Elliot, he licks his lips.

"You're right babe. The chemistry between them is intense.", Elliot chuckles as he and Kate move away from the door. "Ana, I hope my brother treated well on your date last night."

"He was the perfect gentleman."

"Ana, Elliot wants to show me where he's building a new real estate developement. Would you and Christian like to go?", Kate asks.

"I've got some chores to do around here so I'm going to pass."

"And I've already seen the site.", Christian shrugs. "I'll wait here and keep Ana company while the two of you are gone."

"Ok. I'm going to grab my jacket.", Kate smiles on her way to her bedroom with me right behind her. She picks her jacket from her bedroom closet and does a once over in the mirror. "Before you get mad, I knew that Christian was with Elliot, but I didn't think it was big deal. You're happy to see him, right?"

"Yes, but you still should have told me."

"I'm sorry. Elliot and I won't be gone long." I follow her back into the living room where Christian and Elliot are talking. "All set."

Once we're alone, Christian remains standing by the wall while I sit down on the sofa and turn the tv back on. I fumble through the channels until I stop on The Notebook, the movie that I lied to Kate about watching the night he came over for dinner. The irony of the situation sends me into a fit of giggles.

"Are you ok?", Christian asks as he rushes to the spot next to me.

"I'm fine.", I laugh. "It's The Notebook."

"I've never seen the movie, but from what I've heard it's supposed to be a tear jerker so why are you laughing?"

"It's a long story. About what happened earlier today..."

"Whatever do you mean Miss Steele?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"Ah, the sexting.", he grins, running his hand over his jaw. "I have to say that it was very unexpected."

"Unexpected is right. I have no idea what got into me."

"Could it have been thinking about who you wanted to get in you." I grab one of the light blue throw pillows from the end of the sofa to playfully hit him, but I accidentally smack him right in the nose. "Fuck."

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I only meant to barely touch you." He's holding on to his nose with wide eyes. "Let me see."

"Why so you can hit me again?", he jokes while I scoot to the opposite end of the sofa. He reaches over and pulls me into his lap, kissing the top of my head. "Baby, I'm just messing with you." My hand moves upwards to his chest, but he quickly pushes it away. "Please don't touch me there. You can touch me anywhere else but not there."

"Why?"

"To repeat your earlier words, it's a long story. While you know a lot more about me than many people, there's still some things that I can't go into right now. I'm not saying that I won't tell you at some point."

"I understand.", I murmur. "Back to the sexting topic, I still want to hold off a bit until we actually have sex. I get that it sounds ridiculous considering what I was doing while in the restroom at Glo's Cafe."

"And what I was doing as well.", he smirks. I press my thighs close together as the vision of him stroking himself pops in my mind.

"You're distracting me. I've never done anything like that before, but you make me feel a way that I've never felt. I feel alive. There's this rush of exhilaration throughout my mind and body. It's amazing and scary at the same time."

"You just described the exact way I feel with you." I tilt my head and see his lips moving down to mine. The following kiss is full of lust and fire. I shift so I'm straddling him as our bodies grind against each other. "I like our way of taking things slow."

"Just because we don't have sex doesn't mean we can't make out.", I whisper against his lips.

"We're back.", Kate says as she starts opening the door. I jump from Christian's lap so fast that I fall into the floor. He reaches down and pulls me up before she and Elliot see us.

"Back so soon?"

"I told you we wouldn't be gone long. Are we interrupting something? Because we can leave the two of you alone if you'd like."

"You're not interrupting at all.", Christian sighs.

"I would have kept Kate out longer, but I forgot that Dad wants me to swing by with the plans for the new sunroom.", Elliot tells Christian. "I could leave you here and pick you up on my way back."

"Eh, it's fine. I'll go with you." He turns to me and smiles. "It was nice seeing you."

"Ditto."

* * *

"Check it out.", Kate nods at the office door where Audrey and Daniel are arriving side by side. Although they're not holding hands, their fingertips are brushing against each other. "Audrey texted me yesterday afternoon and said they went out Saturday night, and from the looks of it, things went well." I simply smile and nod, choosing not to bring up the conversation that I had with Daniel.

"Good morning.", Audrey sings. "How were your weekends?"

"Obviously not as good as yours."

"Mine was pretty great."

"Mine was as well.", Daniel adds with a shy smile. He and Audrey look at each other simultaneously and begin blushing. "I'm going to check my emails, but I'll see you guys at the staff meeting."

"K.", Audrey grins.

"Is it a coincidence that the two of you arrived at the same time?", Kate asks.

"If you must know, we met for breakfast, and then I followed him here in _my_ car. I realize in the past that I've acted kind of flaky when it came to dating, but I want things to be different with Daniel. The two of us already have this bond from our friendship, and we can only build on it. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense.", I say as Audrey and Kate trade grins with one another. "Kate told you about my date, didn't she?"

"She might have told me that you went out with Christian Grey on Saturday night, but that's all she told me. I was waiting for you to tell me the rest." I roll my eyes and move past the two of them to go to my desk. After placing my purse in one of the drawers, I turn and see Audrey tapping her foot.

"Are you sure that the two of you weren't separated at birth?"

"Please, Kate only wishes she had a sister as good looking as me. Stop avoiding the subject and dish. Is he a gentle kisser or is he rough?" Divulging that sort of information is better than telling them about the sexting which took place yesterday.

"Both.", I answer. "Now that is the only info you're getting." She pouts and stomps back to her desk while Olivia steps out of her office.

"All right boys and girls, gather for the staff meeting." The entire room groans as they stagger to the conference room. Only Olivia has a smile on her face as she stands by the door and greets everyone. Audrey and Daniel sit next to each other at the end of the long table while Kate and I take a seat across from them. Everyone always tries to avoid sitting at the front of the table.

"Oh man. I knew I should have held off on getting that coffee.", Cory Harris, one of the magazine's photographers murmurs when he sees the only available seat is next to Olivia.

"Good morning to you too Cory.", Olivia says with a smile. "Why is it that everyone wants to be as far away from me as possible? I'm nice to all of you." Daniel clears his throat and raises his hand. "Yes Daniel?"

"You're a wonderful boss. It's just no one likes your staff meetings. Uh, why don't I clarify myself. No one like meetings period, especially Monday morning meetings. Everyone is still tired from the weekend.", he shrugs.

"I guess that makes me feel a little better. Now that we've established that it's Monday and no one wants to be here, let's get started so we can hurry up and get to work. Kate, is the art festival article going to be ready for me by tomorrow?"

"I need to do some finishing touches on it, but it'll be on your desk by the end of the day tomorrow.", Kate answers.

"Music to my ears. Daniel, have you lined up any restaurants to review this week?"

"I've got my eye on a few, but I don't have anything in concrete yet. I will, however, do my best to have a list to you by tomorrow morning."

"Ana, there's going to be a book fair downtown next weekend that I thought you might like to cover since you're the resident literature lover."

"I'd like that. Thank you."

"I think that basically is all I need to discuss with you all today." Everyone stands from the seats and starts towards the door. "Wait! There is one more pressing bit of news that I need to discuss with you all."

"We're all getting raises.", Daniel jokes.

"Ha ha. No. We're getting a new coffee machine."

"That's why you wanted us to stay? How is that important?"

"It's not. I was simply trying to prolong the meeting.", Olivia replies with an evil laugh. "Now that I've tortured you, you may go." She stands and watches as Daniel practically knocks Cory out of the way. "Maybe it wouldn't be so boring if I had a dry erase board."

"Vodka would be a great addition.", Kate says.

* * *

"I'm going down the street to grab some lunch. Who wants to go?", Audrey asks when noon arrives.

"Me.", Daniel answers. "I'll go with you."

"Ana, Kate, do the two of you want to go?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I've already scheduled plans.", I reply. Before Christian left yesterday, we made lunch plans for today.

"I'm going to grab something from the vending machine and finish up my article.", Kate adds.

"You can join us if you'd like.", I tell her.

"I know, but I'm going to pass so I can get this turned in."

"Since when do you make your job a priority?", a voice from the doorway asks. When Kate and I turn, we see Ethan standing with a grin. Like his sister, he has blonde hair and looks like he's stepped off a runway.

"What are you doing here? I didn't think you were going to be here for another few weeks." He shrugs his shoulders and moves towards us as Kate gets up to hug him. "Don't get me wrong, it's good to see you, but I'm surprised to see you."

"After our phone conversation Saturday night, I made a last minute decision to move my visit up. I should have called, but I wanted to surprise you. Does the offer to crash at your place still stand?"

"Of course it does. I talked it over with Ana who's fine with it." Ethan releases her and steps back with his eyes on me.

"You look different."

"I'm still the same girl.", I insist.

"Don't listen to her. She's finally moving on from Lord Douche.", Kate mutters.

"About freaking time. I don't know what you ever saw in the guy."

"I've been asking myself that very question for a while now."

"Forget about that bastard for now and give me a hug." He brings his arms around me in a tight hug. Over my shoulder, I see Kate's eyes move to the door.

"Am I interrupting?", Christian asks. His eyes are dark with what appears to be anger.

"Christian, hey. You're not interrupting at all.", I say while moving from Ethan. "This is Ethan, Kate's brother." Ethan holds his hand out to Christian who takes a few seconds before finally shaking it. "Ethan Kavanagh, this is Christian Grey."

"Nice to meet you Christian.", Ethan says.

"Likewise."

"I've changed my mind and decided to get some lunch. Ethan, why don't we go to that pizza place you love?", Kate asks. I can see that she's trying to help make things less awkward.

"Pizza would be great. Ana, I'll see you at the apartment later. Christian, again it was nice to meet you."

"What did he mean when he said that he'd see you at the apartment?", Christian asks once we're alone.

"Ethan's going to stay with us for a few days while he's in town."

"He can't stay with his parents?"

"I'm sure he could, but his relationship with his parents hasn't always been the best in the world. He usually stays with Kate when he's here. Why?" I grab my purse and lead him out of the office and into the hallway.

"I'm not a body language expert, but that hug looked more than friendly, at least on his end of it."

"I've known Ethan as long as I've known Kate so he's like a brother to me. Never have I thought of him in a different way."

"Just because you haven't thought of him as more than friends doesn't mean he doesn't think of you as more. The guy was practically drooling over you." I stand on my toes and place a kiss on his lips. "I don't share.", he reminds me.

"I'm fully aware of that Mr. Grey. The only guy who I have eyes for is you. Now let's go to lunch."

"Only if we can make out some afterwards.", he says as his voice lightens. I push the elevator button and kiss him one more time.

"That's a given."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Christian's not too happy with the fact that Ethan's staying with us, is he?", Kate asks when we step into the elevator on our way to the apartment. Every time I step inside this small space, both my mind and body remember being pinned against the wall by Christian's well sculptured body.

"He wasn't happy about it at first, but he seems to have gotten over it. I explained that Ethan is like a brother who I have no romantic feelings for whatsoever."

"Ethan doesn't seem to think of you in a romantic way or at least I've never noticed."

With the pinging of the elevator, we step on to our floor and begin heading to the apartment. Ms. Herron, our neighbor across the hall, is losing her door just as I reach for my key."

"Ana, Kate, I know it's probably none of my business, but there was a young man going inside your apartment earlier." Although she's nice and sweet, she also loves to stick her nose in the other residents' business and tends to gossip. "He appeared to have a key, but these days you can't be too sure cautious."

"That would be my brother Ethan who I'm sure you've seen around.", Kate tells her. "I gave him my key." Ms. Herron pushes her purse up on her shoulder and thinks for a brief moment.

"Oh yes. Now I remember him. I have a bad memory.", Mrs. Herron says.

"It's fine. You were looking out for us.", I smile.

"I'm off to the store. See you later." Kate turns her head and grins as we watch Ms. Herron walk away from us.

"She means well but damn.", Kate murmurs while I finally find my key and unlock the door. "Maybe we can find a guy for her so she can be less interested in our lives. Mr. Lawrence on the third floor might be a good match for her. I've seen them talking a few times in the laundry room."

"Why do always insist on playing matchmaker with people?", I ask with a giggle.

When we walk inside the apartment, Ethan is sprawled on the sofa with a bowl of chips in one hand and the tv remote in the other. He's too immersed in the movie that he's watching that he doesn't notice us. It's only when Kate stands in front of him, blocking his view of the tv, that he snaps out of his daze.

"Ugh, hey guys. I didn't realize you were already off from work", he says as he brushes crumbs off his shirt. "I started watching this movie, and I guess time got away from me. How were your days?"

"Good up until the point where I came home to find my brother getting chips all over the furniture.", Kate mumbles.

"Don't worry. I'll clean up my mess." He turns his attention to where I'm standing. "What about your day Ana?" Shrugging my denim jacket off, I sit down in the chair next to the sofa as Kate takes a seat next to Ethan.

"It was good.", I reply.

"No it was good before you had lunch with Christian, but you've been smiling like a loon since you got back.", Kate teases.

"So...is Christian your boyfriend?", Ethan asks. Kate leans forward in her seat to make sure she hears my entire answer, but I'm not sure what to say. Christian and I are seeing each other, but would he call himself my boyfriend?

"We're spending time together and getting to know each other.", I shrug.

"They're taking it slow.", Kate says with air quotes.

"There is nothing wrong with taking it slow. If I would have taken more time with some of my past relationships, I would have saved myself a lot of trouble. I'm just glad that you're moving past the shit Bryant put you through. You deserve so much better than him."

"Brother of mine, you've asked about our days so now it's time for you to tell us about your day. What all have you been doing besides watching tv?" Ethan shoves a handful of chips in his mouth and points to the now empty bowl. "And eating."

"After we had lunch, I stopped at the store to pick up some food for your fridge. I got some of that bottled water that you like so much along with some more things. It was the only right thing to do since I'm going to be staying here for a few days. Thank you once again for that."

"You're welcome. Do Mom and Dad know you're in town?"

"Not yet. I was going to hold off on it for a day or so."

"Mom will have a fit when she finds out that you've been in Seattle and not contacted her.", Kate murmurs.

"Which is why I'm going to tell her I arrived a different day. Please don't tell her the truth. I just...I just need some time to relax and regroup before dealing with her and Dad. You know as well as I do that they'll immediately start asking me about my plans for school."

"Which are?"

"I'm still planning to go to graduate school at some point, but I'm at a place in my life where I need to sort some things out. The last thing I want is to start school and not have my head or heart in it, thus leading to failure.", he sighs.

"Fine. I'll keep your presence in Seattle a secret.", Kate agrees. "What should we do for dinner tonight?"

"I'm going to meet up with some of my old friends. I shouldn't be out too late."

"Ana, are you seeing Christian tonight?"

"Not tonight. He's working late." I hear my phone ring from inside my purse. My face blushes as I see Christian's name on the caller id. "Excuse me.", I tell Kate and Ethan while getting up to take the call in my bedroom. "Hello Mr. Grey, I was just talking about you."

"Really? I hope it was all good."

"I was telling Kate and Ethan that I won't be seeing you tonight."

"Ethan.", he murmurs after a long pause.

"Remember what I told you before lunch and our long make out session."

"You're right. I've got a bit of bad news." I sit down on the edge of the bed and brace myself for his next words. "I'm in the middle of deal with a Boston based energy company, and right now the entire thing in hanging by a thread unless I go and try to salvage things."

"Oh..ok.", I stammer. "You're going to Boston."

"Yes. I have to leave around eight tomorrow morning for a three day minimum trip. I really want to see you before I leave, but it's going to be pretty late when I finish up here. With that being said, do you run?" I have no idea where he's going with this.

"I do, but not as much as I'd like. Why do you ask?"

"I run every morning before work. It's a great way to get the day going. Even though my flight is early, I still plan to run tomorrow before I leave. Would you like to join me?" My brain mentally calculates what's he's asking. If he's leaving at eight, he would have to start running very early.

"What time were you thinking?"

"Five thirty. We can get some running in and then grab breakfast. Come on. You know you want to.", he laughs. Of course I want to see him.

* * *

"How many miles are we running?", I ask Christian while we're doing our stretches the next morning. With the sun barely up, there's a slight chill in the June morning air, but that should diminish once we start running.

"Five if that's ok." I want to tell him that he's out of his mind, but I simply smile and nod. Five miles shouldn't be so bad.

"Sure. Just make sure you keep up with me."

"Baby, I have no problem keeping up.", he smirks. "Shall we?"

"We shall.", I say as we take off running past Taylor who is going to wait for us in the SUV.

We start off at a moderate pace, trading smiles every few seconds. I'm not sure if it's because Christian is with me and making me feel like I'm floating on air, but the running isn't as bad as I had thought it would be. Well, it's not so bad at first. A little over half way through, my legs begin to feel tired. _Almost there. _My forehead has streams of sweat trickling down, not the best look to have when you're with a guy who you like.

"How are you feeling?", Christian asks. He doesn't have one sign of sweat on his body.

"I'm feeling great.", I pant. "I could probably run another five miles, but I don't want to be a show off."

"You wouldn't be considering the fact that I normally run eight miles every morning." _What the fuck! _We're now doubling back to where we started. "You're so fucking sexy right now."

"You're blind! I'm drenched in sweat."

"Oh I'm sure you're drenched all right.", he teases, rubbing his shoulder against mine. "I'm being serious though."

"Well thank you. What I'm dying to know is how you didn't break a sweat?" He stops and points to spot on his forehead.

"Bam, sweat. Of course there's another type of workout that would probably have me sweating."

"Cycling?", I joke as he knots his hands around mine.

"You're a funny one Miss Steele. I'm going to miss you while I'm gone."

"I'm going to miss you, but we'll still be in touch. We can call, text, Skype..."

"Sext?", he asks with hopeful eyes. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."

"We'll see. I recall breakfast being on the agenda."

"You're right."

* * *

Following breakfast, Christian and I said goodbye with several kisses in the back of his SUV. Each kiss made me fall for him even more. I ended up being a few minutes late for work, but it was totally worth it. As usual, Kate wanted me to fess up details of our running/breakfast date, and as usual, I only gave her a tad of info. Elliot is taking her to the movies tonight so it'll just be me and Ethan at the apartment, but I plan to make myself scarce as I start on my research for the book fair.

"Ana, I made stir fry if you want to join me.", Ethan says from the other side of my closed bedroom door. I'm satisfied with how much work I've accomplished so I can fit a dinner break in. I push my desk chair back and open the door to find him smiling. "It may not be the best in the world."

"I'm sure it's delicious." He leads me to the kitchen where he already has two plates on the table. "Getting a little ahead of yourself, huh?", I tease while we take our seats.

True to my words, the stir fry ends up being very good. Both of us eat in silence, making me wonder if something is on Ethan's mind. He looks up from his plate every few seconds before returning his focus to his food. The guy is normally chatty and lively, but this is a different Ethan.

"What's bothering you? And don't say nothing because that's not true." Pushing his plate back, he slowly lifts his eyes to meet mine.

"You want to know what one of the worst feelings in the world is? Falling for someone, knowing the two of you could be good together, but not doing anything about it. Then when you finally decide to wise up, it's too late." Could Christian have been right about Ethan having feelings for me? Anguish is on Ethan's face as he waits for me to respond.

"Um Ethan, before you say anything else, I want you to know that I like you, but my view of you may be different than your view of me."

"You don't see me as a friend?"

"Yes. Of course I see you as a friend, but if there's more to how you feel about me, know that I can't give you what you want.", I murmur.

"Ok? Hold on. You think I was talking about you? I'm sorry for misleading you. My words are aimed towards someone else who I've known for a while. We hung out and got close, but when the time came to go public, I freaked because I wasn't ready for that step."

"My advice for you is show this person how you feel. Don't let something good slip through your fingers."

"In order for me to do that, I also need to make a confession which I've struggled with for a while now.", he sighs. "No one knows, especially my family, but I realize the only way I will be able to find peace if to go forward."

"What's this confession?"

"Ana, I'm gay."


	13. Chapter 13

"Shit. Do you realize that's only the second time I've ever said those words out loud?" Ethan says, referring to his revelation that he's gay. "I've known for a while, but I've never gathered enough courage to tell anyone besides the guy who I like." He leans back in his chair and looks up at the ceiling. "I'm sure this is a shock for you."

"A little bit. I sensed something was going on with you, but I had no idea what it was. You've...um...had relationships with girls."

"Deep down, I've always known that I was gay, but I grew up in a home where my parents expected me to marry a woman from a wealthy family, thus allowing us to become the next big power couple. So, I dated girls who my parents adored even though I felt nothing for them. I thought as long as at least acted like I was making an effort, I would be ok." Ethan and Kate's parents have always been nice and welcoming to me, but they have always been too demanding on their children. "Do you remember Megan who I dated last year?"

"She was the pre-med student right?"

"That's her. The two of us went to a party at one of her friend's homes one night, and I found myself sitting on the patio alone while she mingled with her pals. I was so close to getting up and leaving, but just as I did, this guy came up. Max.", he recalls fondly. "After he sat down in the chair across from me, we started talking about ourselves, life, everything." Ethan's voice is sincere and filled with joy while talking about Max. "I had never had such an easy flowing conversation with anyone before. It just felt right. Halfway through, Max flashed this smile at me. It sent bolts of electricity throughout my body."

"You were attracted to him.", I state with an understanding smile.

"I was _very_ attracted to him. Megan ended up finding me out on the patio when she was ready to leave. I felt like there was still so much that I wanted to talk about with Max, but I left anyway. A few days later, I was on my way into Starbucks when I heard my name being yelled. Turning around, I saw Max sitting at one of the tables. I joined him, and we ended up having a repeat of that night. We ended up exchanging numbers to meet up again. It was during our third meeting that he told me that he was gay and was attracted to me. I wasn't at all freaked out because I was beginning to feel the same way. One afternoon, we were hanging out at his place when I finally told him that I liked him too. We ended up sharing a kiss unlike any other that I've ever experienced. A few more kisses followed until I told him that I couldn't be with him. The look on his face still haunts me. His family knows that he's gay and accepts it. The way he describes them makes me envious. He told me that I was nothing but a coward. I almost came close to stepping after Megan and I broke up. I had already made the decision to delay graduate school so I thought why not tell them both of my bombshells at the same time. I told them about graduate school at first. My dad went ballistic. He was pissed."

"I knew Kate said that your mom was ok with the idea, but your dad was starting to get antsy about it."

"Kate has been told an abridged version of events by mom. My mom tries to keep the peace in the family. Still, she's Team Dad all the way. After my dad made the comment that he was disappointed in me, I chose to not tell them the other news. When I got back to my apartment, Max called and asked how it went since I had called him before I went over to let him know that I was finally going to do it. I had to tell him that I chickened out, and then I had to hear him tell me that he couldn't continue the charade of being just my friend. He wanted us to go out and have dates like normal couples, but I couldn't give that to him. I couldn't be brave enough..." His words are cut off by the falling of his tears. I scoot my chair back and move over to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders from behind.

"It's ok. Ethan, I know this decision is yours and yours only, but you deserve happiness as much as anyone else. If being with Max is what makes you happy, go for it. I understand your hesitancy to tell your parents. They may be shocked and need to process everything, but they love you."

"I miss him.", he says with a drawn out sigh. "I thought traveling would help me miss him less and eventually get over him, but if anything, I miss him more. When I was out last night, I saw one of his friends, Stacy, who told me that Max has been down in the dumps lately. She didn't come out and say that she knows about us, but she told me that I need to go and see him."

"So go. See him. Be happy." I move my arms and seat down in the seat next to him. "One thing that kept me from taking a chance with Christian was fear. I was afraid that I would end up in a repeat of what happened with Bryant. Thanks to Kate's friendship and Christian's relentless pursuit, I saw that fear gets you no where."

"Thank you for listening and not judging."

"I'll never judge you.", I tell him truthfully. "I'm always here."

* * *

After helping Ethan clean up after dinner, I head back to my room to do some more work on my article while he watches a movie. Christian texted this afternoon letting me know that he had arrived in Boston and said that he would call me before going to bed, but with it getting late, I'm becoming doubtful. As I'm looking over the list off of authors scheduled for the book fair, my phone begins ringing from its spot on my bedside table. I slowly walk over to pick it up and immediately smile when I see that it's Christian.

"Hey.", he says.

"Hi. I didn't think you were going to call." Sitting down on the bed, I glance at the clock and see that it's already nine, meaning midnight for him.

"I told you that I'd call. Are you not glad that I called?"

"It's not that I'm not happy to hear your voice. I just didn't want you to have to stay up late just so you could call me. You could have waited until the morning."

"I actually haven't been in my hotel room very long due to the fact that my meeting ran late and then was followed by a late dinner. Besides, I couldn't even attempt to go to sleep until I heard your voice."

"Now you're hearing it.", I tease. A warmth sweeps across my body.

"I've got a confession. I was in the middle of my meeting and bored out of my fucking mind when the vision of you being all sweaty popped in my head."

"You're kidding."

"I'm being serious. It was the only thing that got me through the meeting. I'm sure everyone in the room was wondering why I was grinning like a mad man. What have you been up to?", he asks.

"I've been doing research for the book fair that I'm covering this coming weekend."

"I understand how you serious you take your work, but please tell me that you've made time to eat.", he says.

"Ethan made dinner for us.", I reply as I sense a jealous Christian on the horizon.

"It was nice of him to cook for you and Kate."

"Kate went out with Elliot so it was just me and Ethan." Silence. Finally, I hear him take a deep breath.

"How cozy.", he mutters.

"Don't do this especially with you being on the other side of the country."

"Maybe it's because I'm on the other side of the country that Ethan asked you to have dinner with him. Was it a candle lit dinner with romantic music?" I can feel my face redden in anger as he continues his jealous rambling. Don't you think it's convenient?"

"No.", I hiss. "I think it was a friend wanting to enjoy my company. If you're going to continue with this, I'm going to hang up and do more important things like stare at the wall."

"I'm starting to get a little sleepy so I'm going to hang up and get to bed."

"Fine."

"Goodnight.", he says, hanging up before I even have a chance to respond. He would feel better about Ethan if he knew the truth, but I refuse to tell Ethan's secret to anyone.

* * *

"What's going on with you?", Kate asks while we're sitting in the break room at work the afternoon.

"I'm just tired.", I shrug.

"Tired from staying up late on the phone with Christian." My right hand slams my coffee cup on to the table so hard that a few drops of my coffee spill. "Clearly that's a sign that I've hit a nerve."

"Kate, you can ask me about anything. You can ask my thoughts on the weather, Mariners baseball, that new lipstick you're wearing, but don't ask me about Christian Grey. Asking me about him would require me to talk about him which is something I have no interest in doing."

"I'm sorry. I won't bring up his name. Now then, have you noticed how Ethan's acting different? I get that he needs some time before going back to school, but I sense there's something else going on with him. Has he said anything to you?" Again, I refuse to tell Ethan's secret.

"I'm sure Ethan will talk to you when feels the time is right." I instantly regret my choice of wording as Kate's brows lift. "I mean if there's something he wants to talk about." Thankfully Daniel and Audrey come into the room before Kate has a chance to ask me more questions.

"Guys, I've got some good and bad news.", Daniel tells us.

"What?", I ask.

"I may have accidentally overheard a conversation between some of the magazine's senior staff members."

"Meaning you were eavesdropping.", Kate murmurs over his coffee.

"Not at all. I was simply on my way to do a review of that new Italian place a few blocks away when I saw some of the editors grouped together. They couldn't see me because of the large plant I was standing behind."

"Yeah...he was totally eavesdropping.", Audrey laughs. "But he did hear some interesting news. Go on and tell them."

"Although the magazine is doing well, it seems they feel more could be done to bring readers in so they're going to start team up with an advertising firm to help get the word out in print, on the radio, tv, you name it."

"Cool.", I say. Daniel and Audrey trade knowing glances with each other before looking at me. "What's the bad news?"

"It seems they've hired McGregor Advertising to take on the task."

"There has to be more than one McGregor Adversting firm in Seattle.", Kate says, realizing the same thing which has me sitting in utter shock. McGregor Advertising is where Bryant and Rachel work.

"I wish. Ana, I'm sorry. For what it's worth, I doubt you'll have to see Bryant or what's her name. They'll probably have someone else handle the account.", Audrey tell me. "And even if one of them does end up with it, the chances of you seeing them are slim."

"I could care less about who they hired.", I insist. "I should get back to my desk."

* * *

Memories of last night's phone call with Christian coupled with the advertising news officially made my day shitty. Never have I been so happy for the clock to strike five so I could get home.

"Elliot's going out with friends tonight which made me think you and I should do the same.", Kate says while I'm grabbing a handful of grapes from the fridge. "Ethan's already agreed to go with us."

"I'd actually rather stay home, but you and Ethan should go ahead."

"Ana, I know you told me not to bring up Christian."

"So don't." I shut the fridge door and grab my mail from the table. "Why do you have to be so nosey?"

"Because I care.", she giggles.

"Fine. I told Christian about Ethan cooking us dinner last night, and he got mad. He thought Ethan was trying to put the moves on me."

"Does he not think a guy and girl can be just friends?"

"I've told him there's nothing going on, and even though he acts fine for a bit, he eventually goes back to being jealous. I can't keep doing the back and forth thing. He doesn't trust me."

"I warned him that I would use my martial arts training on him, but the bastard just wouldn't listen.", she sighs. I start laughing at the memory of her trying to scare Christian when he picked me up for our first official date. "As long as I don't break a nail, I'll do whatever I can to show him that I mean business." I move next to her and pat her on the back.

"I appreciate that, but it's not necessary."

"Have you talked to him today?"

"No. I started to text him earlier, but I'm sure he's busy with meetings and all." I guess I could have been the bigger person and contacted him today.

"Maybe he's thinking the same about you. Why don't you at least call him?", she suggests. "Then you're coming out with us, and that's an order."

"All right. All right. I'll call him and get dressed.", I groan as she smiles and goes to her bedroom.

On my way to my bedroom, I see that Ethan's standing in the living room with a sorrowful look on his face. I instantly know that he heard my conversation with Kate.

"I'm sorry that Christian got upset. I had no idea having dinner would set him off.", he apologizes.

"It's not your fault. He's been like that since the day you arrived in town and came to the office."

"Ah. Yeah, he walked at the same time I was hugging you." He glances to Kate's closed door to make sure that she doesn't hear him. "If it'll help make things easier, I can tell him the truth...about me."

"Ethan, you shouldn't have to come out to Christian just to help make him feel better. Besides, I thought you were going to talk your parents." Before Kate woke up this morning, Ethan was sitting at the kitchen table and told me of the decision he made to go over to his parents' on Friday evening so he could tell them that he's gay. He's determined to not back out like he did before and plans to see Max on Saturday for his birthday.

"I am."

"Don't worry about Christian. I'm going to call him and explain once again that he has no reason to be jealous. If he can't handle it, then maybe we're not meant to be."

"He'd be a fool to let you go. I'm going to take a quick shower. Are you coming out with me and Kate?"

"Yep. She finally convinced me. I'll see you soon."

Closing my bedroom door, I pick up my phone and stare at it for several seconds before dialing Christian's number. I balance the phone against my ear and go into the closet for something to wear. By the fourth ring, I sense that he's not going to answer. The call ends up going to voicemail.

"This is Grey. Leave a message.."

"It's me. I don't know if you're busy or purposely avoiding me, but we really need to talk. Call me if you agree. Bye." I set the phone down and stare at it once more. Nothing. "Oh well.", I mumble to myself before grabbing a maroon dress and black knee-length boots. I'm standing in just my bra and panties when I hear loud voices coming from the living room.

"If you're here to make her feel even worse than you already have, then you can leave now.", Kate says.

"I just want to talk to her.", Christian counters. Wait. Christian? He's here. I hurriedly grab my pink velour robe and throw it on.

Kate's standing in front of the door when I walk into the living room. Her arms are blocking Christian from walking into the apartment. She shifts slightly, allowing me to see a glimpse of his tired eyes. Before I'm able to say a word, Ethan steps out of the bathroom in just a pair of jeans.

"What's going on in here?", he asks. When Kate moves from the doorway, I see Christian's eyes go to Ethan and then to me. His fists clench while his jaw tightens.

"Perhaps I should ask you two the same.", Christian snaps, waving his hand at me and Ethan.

"Kate, let him in.", I sigh. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Hmm, you're half-dressed along with Ethan, the guy who you claim is just a friend. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on. You made me feel like such a fool."

"Dude, the only person to blame for making you into a fool is you.", Ethan says. "Not me and definitely not Ana."

"How long have you been fucking her?" Seeing the fury in Christian's eyes deepen, I rush in between him and Ethan as Kate does the same. We're both serving as a barricade.

"Christian, let's go and talk.", I tell him, but he continues to stand in his spot.

"As Ana has told you, we're just friends. I don't know what I would do without her.", Elliot says.

"Screw some other girl?", Christian asks.

"Girls aren't really my thing. You see Christian, I'm gay." A stunned Kate turns her attention fully on her brother.

"What?"

"Kate, I'm gay.", he repeats through tears. "This isn't how I wanted you find out, but it seems fate has other plans." Christian looks as if he's just been slapped across the face by Ethan's words. I grasp Ethan's hand for a second, mouthing I'm sorry to him.

"You come with me now.", I snarl at Christian while stomping to my bedroom. He remains standing in front of Ethan as if he's going to say something, but he slowly moves past him and towards me.

"Ana, I didn't know. I thought that you..and..him..", he stammers as he runs his hands through his hair in frustration. I shoot him a disbelieving glare while standing on the opposite side of the room from him.

"You thought I was lying even though I told you nothing was going on. I've been cheated on, and it's one of the worst feelings in the world. Do you think so little of me that I would put you through that?"

"I should have believed you."

"You're damn right you should have. You should have trusted me, but you didn't.", I sigh. "You're still getting used to the whole relationship thing, but one of the key things is trust. Without it, you have nothing. What if I would have not trusted you? What if I didn't believe you when you said that you didn't need a submissive?"

"It's true. I've told you that I don't want or need a sub. I just want you."

"And I trusted you when you said that. Why couldn't you have done the same?"

"I fucked up, but we can work through this. You'll see. We'll be ok."

"I'm not so sure."

**A/N: So it seems there's a bump for our couple, but as many of you know, I'm a HEA hearts and flowers girl. Sometimes you need to fall before you can fly. Also, there will be no cheating whatsoever since that's not my style either. Thank you all for reading. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"Fuck Ana, I wish more than anything that I could go back in time and change things, but I can't. What I can do is try to make things right, starting with going out there and telling Ethan how truly sorry I am for my actions."

"He's a good friend who sacrificed one of his deepest secrets to prove you wrong. I hate that he had to come out like that."

"Me too.", Christian sighs. "I acted like a pompous ass who is completely disgusted with himself."

"You should be.", I snap. "Yet you weren't thinking about anyone but yourself. Chalk up selfishness to go along with your jealousy." He looks as if I've just kicked him in the gut, but I don't care. He deserves every single hostile word that I'm throwing his way.

"I won't disagree with you on that. I'm going to make this up to you, I promise." When he takes a step towards me, I remain in my spot, feeling the always present chemistry between us. He's soon right in front of me with his right hand moving toward the side of my face. I'm paralyzed by my attraction, but the reality of the situation wakes me up and moves me away from him. "Ana, don't walk away from this."

"I need some to think about things."

"How much time?", he asks.

"I'm not sure.", I answer. "While I'm doing my thinking, you should do the same. You should ponder if this is what you really want."

"There's nothing to ponder. I'll fully aware of what and who I want. It's you, and that won't change."

"Even so, you need to decide why it was so easy for you to not trust me. You can stand here and tell me over and over that you do, but saying it means nothing if you don't mean it." I keep my distance but hold my hand out for him. "Time."

"Fine.", he mutters, taking my hand in his. "But I'm not giving up on us, and I won't let you either." He shuffles his feet and gives a tiny smile before reluctantly releasing my hand. "I'm going to talk to Ethan and then head home."

"You look like you could use some rest.", I say.

"I'm exhausted from my flight, but I doubt that I'll be able to sleep."

Kate and Ethan are both wearing tear streaked faces when Christian and I ease out of my room. They stop in the midst of their conversation and and stare at us, more or less at Christian.

"I'm leaving.", Christian tells the pair.

"Good.", Kate scoffs. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Before I go, I want to apologize. Ethan, I'm sorry. I should have been believed Ana when she said you were just a friend. When I came in here, my eyes reacted before my brain, and I lost it."

"Christian, I don't know much about you, but I have feeling that you're a good guy deep down. Ana wouldn't be with you if you weren't. Honesty is one of her best qualities so when she tells you something, she's being truthful. In fact, she helped me see that I need to be honest with those around me."

"I'm sure that you hate me for forcing you to come out like that, and I'm sorry. You shouldn't have been put in such a precarious situation."

"I don't hate you.", Ethan sighs, making Kate raise her brow. "I don't like that my sister had to find out like she did, but I don't hate you. Ana's an amazing person who deserves someone who appreciates all that she has to give, and if you're that guy, great." Even after the way Christian acted, Ethan's still putting my feelings before his own. "But you need to step your game or you're going to lose her."

"I'm going to put all I have into being the man for her.", Christian says to reassure himself. He shifts his eyes to Kate and then to me before going back to Ethan. "I'm going to make myself worthy of all of you."

"We'll see.", Kate mumbles.

"Thank you for listening to me. I'm going to go now."

After Christian opens the door, I step into the hall with him and stare at him in silence. I'm not sure when I'll see him again so I relish the sight before me. The chemistry is present as always, but I fight the urge to kiss him.

"I hope you're able to get some rest.", I tell him.

"It's doubtful but thanks. This is not how I thought the night was going to go when I came here.", he says. "I'll see you later." His lips move closer and closer to me but they land on my cheek instead of my lips.

"Goodnight."

"Is he gone?", Kate asks when I go back into the apartment.

"Yes. I told him that I need time to think."

"Sweetie, I'm sorry."

"I'll be ok. What about you two? How are you?" I sit down in the chair across from where Kate and Ethan are sitting.

"I would have preferred to sit down with Kate and tell her my news, but I still feel a sense of relief now that she knows.", Ethan answers.

"We've still got some talking to do, but nothing has changed for me. Ethan's still the brother who I love very much. Nothing he says or does will ever change that.", Kate adds. "I just wish that he hadn't been afraid to tell me."

"Kate's going to go with me when I tell our parents." She puts her arm around his shoulder.

"No more feeling alone. Why don't you two go ahead and finish getting dressed so we can head out to dinner?" Ethan nods and stands up, but I remain in my spot.

"Why don't you two go on without me?", I suggest.

"Ana, if this is because of Christian, don't let him stop you from having a nice night out. The last thing you should do is go back to not enjoying life just because that ass couldn't trust you.", Kate says.

"Christian has nothing to do with my decision. I think it would give you guys the chance to talk some more. Besides, I've still going to some prep work to do before Saturday's book fair, and you know that I don't like waiting until the last-minute."

"We can bring you some food back.", Ethan says.

"I appreciate that, but I think I'm going to make a grilled cheese."

"If you're sure..."

"I'm sure."

* * *

Thursday, day one of my sabbatical from Christian, is chaotic. The electricity went off at some point during the night and caused the alarm clocks to not go off. If I hadn't of woken up thirsty, Kate and I would have been even later for work than we are already were. Luckily, Olivia doesn't live too far from us and also experienced an outage so she understood our tardiness.

Just when I start to think the day is going to turn a corner, I see Bryant getting out of his car as I'm returning from getting the lunch Kate sent me to pick up. I park my car in the last row and wait for him to disappear into the building before I get out of the car, but he keeps standing by his blue Civic, twirling his keys on his finger. I might as well go ahead and get out.

"Ana.", he says when I walk past him. I can hear him running to catch up with me as I ignore him. "I know you heard me."

"Damn, you're observant.", I shout over my shoulder. "My food is going to get cold so if you'll go back under the rock you crawled out from, it would be great. Thanks."

"I see that you've still got your sense of humor." This is what makes me finally stop and turn to face him.

"The sense of humor is still intact and so is your ability to piss me off."

"I didn't mean to upset you."

"If you're here once again to tell me how sorry you are for hurting me, you're wasting your time.", I snarl, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm here for work.", he explains. There goes my hope that he wouldn't be handling the advertising for the magazine. "You may have heard that my office is going to be working with the magazine."

"I heard a little about it. Since you're here on company time, you might want to get to going."

"I've got some time before my meeting with the senior staff. Rachel told me that she saw you and Kate last week. She didn't tell me a lot about what was said, but she did mention that you're seeing Christian Grey." Rachel probably told Bryant about Christian in an attempt to help herself feel more secure in her relationship. "I hope he treats you well." Is this guy for real?

"Now you're being the funny one. Who I date is none of your _or_ Rachel's business. If I want to go out and have earth shattering orgies, I will. This conversation is over." I shake my head in disbelief and walk away from him.

"What took you so long?", Kate asks when I finally get back with our food.

"I saw a rat.", I shrug, handing her burger to her, but she is wary. "It was a metaphor for Bryant."

"Who is even worse than an actual rat. Does his presence here have anything to do with the advertising deal?"

"He's handling it.", I answer before taking a bite of my burger.

"The bastard. Maybe you can try and convince them to have someone else take it over. Olivia knows how big of a piece of crap he is."

"I don't have a say in the matter.", Olivia says as she comes into the break room. "I only found out about it late yesterday afternoon. The publishers are the ones who made the decision on the adverting company."

"Still, McGregor can get someone else.", Kate sighs.

"From what I was told, they offered their best ad guy."

"And Bryant is that?", I murmur.

"Ana, I'm sorry. What I can do is make sure that he stays away from you."

"Thanks. I'm not going to let this affect my work."

"I know you won't. I'm going to let you get back to your lunch while I go to my lunch date.", Olivia smiles. "Kate, don't even think about trying to find out info like you do with everyone else." She grabs one of Kate's fries and walks out of the room as Kate is left stunned.

"She knows me well. Any word from Christian today?"

"Nope. It's a good thing though. It means that he's respecting my wishes and giving me the time I asked for."

"I talked to Elliot while you were gone. He stopped by Christian's apartment this morning on the way to work and saw circles under his eyes. Christian tried to brush it off by saying that he was still tired from the trip. Elliot got him to admit there was more going on."

"How much does Elliot know?", I ask.

"Christian only told him that he messed things up by being jealous. He didn't tell Elliot about Ethan. Ana, I know that I was very vocal last night about how much I despised Christian for how he acted, but I can see how much he cares about you. There's this glimmer that he has when he looks at you. I never saw that with Bryant."

* * *

"Maybe Dad will have a work emergency and have to bail.", a nervous Ethan stammers the next evening. He and Kate are about leave for their dinner with their parents. More importantly, he's preparing to tell his parents that he's gay.

"Wishful thinking.", she tells him. "I know the conversation is going to be tense, but it's going to be ok. I'm going to be there with you the entire time."

"At least one of us is having positive thoughts."

"I'm going to transfer those positive thoughts to you. Ana, will you tell him that it's going to be all right?"

"It'll be fine. Just start thinking about tomorrow when you go and see Max.", I say as Ethan's mouth curls into a smile. "There's that smile."

"I assume you're going to be spending another night at home.", Kate says, grabbing her purse from the back of the chair.

"The book fair starts at nine tomorrow morning, and I want to be on my game so I'm going to relax and get to bed early."

"And continue to miss Christian. Ana, I know you're trying to be tough and act like this time apart is not bothering you, but you're missing him." She's right. Yesterday wasn't as bad as today. Not talking to him for the second day made the situation more real, but it has to get better.

"I miss him.", I sigh. "I don't want to but I do. Missing him is just a natural part of it, right?"

"Ana, if you want to pick up the phone and call him to talk, go for it.", Ethan says. "The guy is still on my shit list, but I can't stay mad very long at the guy who makes you happy."

"You're incredible."

"What can I say.", he laughs. "Kate, let's go before I lose my nerve." Kate and Ethan each hug me and walk to the door. "We'll see you later." When Kate opens the door, she almost trips over a medium sized box.

"What in the hell is this?", she asks while handing the box to me. "It's addressed to you. I'd love to see what's inside, but we're going to go."

Closing the door after Kate and Ethan leave, I sit down on the sofa and inspect the box before slowly peeling the tape back. Red rose petals are scattered in the box, but I notice something underneath it. It's a Seattle Magazine cover with Christian's face on it. Underneath the photo is the headline, **Exclusive: Christian Grey Is An Ass Who Messed Up The Best Thing In His Life, Details Inside. **A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. I keep the cover in my hand and move to the door, opening it to reveal Christian who is standing in a dark suit. His eyes look even more tired than the other day.

"You sent this?", I ask as I hold up the cover.

"Yeah.", he answers in a low tone. "I know that I shouldn't be here, but I needed to see you. I can go if you want."

"No. Come in." He nods and steps inside the living room. "The cover is impressive, but my complaint is that there's no article."

"I guess the printer forgot to include it, but I can give you tell you what the article says, word for word."

"Sit down and tell me.", I motion at a chair.

"When I left here the other night, I went home and tried to get some sleep like you suggested, but it was useless. All I could see when I closed my eyes was you. Of course, I've been seeing you in my dreams since meeting you, but this time it was different. Your face was splashed with anguish which I caused you. I somehow managed to get about an hour of sleep. Yesterday was brutal. I felt like a zombie as I tried to concentrate. Midday, I called my therapist Flynn and scheduled an appointment. I used to see him on a regular basis, but since meeting you, I've only seen him once. It was the day before our first date, and I felt the need to tell him about the great stride I had made in my life."

"He's aware of your history with the subs?"

"Oh, Dr. Flynn is well aware of the subs. He knows everything. When I went to him the other day, I told him about the fiasco from the other night, granted I didn't tell Ethan's secret. He helped me see the real reason I was acting in such a way."

"Go on.", I direct him.

"Ana, I've always thought of myself as being a confidant guy, especially in business. I can walk into a room full of strangers and talk to them like it's nothing. You, though, intimidate me and scare the hell out of me."

"How is that possible?"

"You're this beautiful, smart, and funny woman who for some reason likes me. When you agreed to have dinner with me on our non-date, I felt like wave of excitement that I've never experienced before. I liked it very much. I also liked how that feeling grew when we went on our first date and when my lips touched yours for the first time. At the same time, that feeling worried me. I kept thinking that no matter what you said, I wasn't going to be good enough."

"You are good enough.", I tell him.

"I didn't feel like that. Seeing you with Ethan increased that theory. I wondered if you were going to realize how better off you were without me. Subconsciously, I was pushing you away to help you get free from me."

"Maybe I don't want to be free from you. Have you thought about that? Christian, I took a risk when I decided to be with you, but it wasn't a rash decision. I thought about what I wanted, and it was you. You infuriated me so much the other night, but I still want you."

"I want you too." I get up from my spot on the sofa and hold my hand out for him. He grasps my hand and pulls himself on to the floor, meeting my eyes with his. "I'm still learning and may even stumble and fall again, but I'm going to keep getting up."

"And I'll be here to help you."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

"How has work been?", Christian asks while we're sitting on the sofa following our enlightening heart to heart. His hand slowly eases towards mine as if he's testing the waters to see if it's ok. I answer him by circling my fingers around his.

"I've been getting ready for tomorrow's book fair so that's been keeping me busy.", I answer. Since we're now being completely honest with each other, I know that I need to tell him about Bryant handling the advertising deal. "The magazine decided to hire an advertising firm to bring more readers."

"That sounds like a great move on the magazine's part. Just think of how many more people will get to read your work." I should be excited to hear that but I'm not. "You don't look like you're too thrilled with their plan. Why is that?"

"McGregor Advertising who they hired enlisted...Bryant to manage things."

"Bryant, as in your ex Bryant?", he mutters.

"Unfortunately the one and only. I was hoping that they would have someone else, but I saw him at the office where he gave me the news. My boss Olivia is going to make sure that he stays away from me, but if he does come around, I can handle him."

"I have no doubt that you can, but the guy has no right to interfere in your life. He ruined the best thing he had going for him, and if I was a betting man, I'd say that he regrets it."

"Too bad, so sad.", I playfully pout while rubbing my eyes. "I don't want to talk about him or anything else negative. Have you had dinner?"

"No. My appetite has been nonexistent these past two days."

"Mine hasn't been too great either, but I'm kind of hungry. Why don't I cook us something?"

"Ana, you don't have to go the trouble. We can go out to dinner." I lean over and place a small kiss on his cheek before standing up.

"I'd like to cook for you." He follows me into the kitchen and watches as I open the fridge in search of something to cook. "How does breakfast for dinner sound?"

"Breakfast for dinner?", he asks in disbelief.

"You've never had breakfast for dinner?"

"No. I mean I have, but it's been a long time. When my mom would go on medical conferences, my dad would take us to IHOP where we would have pancakes or omelets for dinner. It's been a long time."

"You're in luck because I happen to be a pro at cooking pancakes. My dad used to love having pancakes for dinner so I would cook." I reach into the cabinet and start grabbing the ingredients for our meal as he stands back and watches me.

"What can I do to help?", he asks.

"Nothing. Just take a seat and relax." He debates for a few seconds before finally sitting down in the chair closest to the kitchen counter.

"So, where are Kate and Ethan tonight?"

"They're having dinner with their parents.", I reply, placing the skillet on top of the stove.

"I'm still pissed off at myself for making Ethan come out.", he sighs. "He seems like a really nice guy and a loyal friend."

"He is.", I say. "He's one of the most unselfish people that I know, always putting others before himself. "And even though he's not happy with you at the moment, I think he'll come around as will Kate."

"I hope so because I don't want all of us to get along."

Cooking the food, I feel his eyes burning on me. When I turn around, he directs his attention elsewhere, but he's not fooling me. The room feels warm and not from the heat from the stove. Things are starting to get better.

"Enjoying the view?", I ask, looking over my shoulder fast enough to catch him glaring at me. His eyes are filled with mischief as he pushes his chair back and moves behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. His lips find their way just below my right ear.

"I've missed putting my lips on you.", he whispers while moving his kisses down my neck.

"I've missed your lips." I place the spatula in my hand down and spin around into his arms. "Hi."

"Hi." My heart feels like it might jump out of my chest as our lips careen together. His hands move down my side and towards my ass, pressing me against his erection. We continue this until I come back down to reality.

"I have missed you, but we should stop before things get out of control.", I tell him. "Is that ok?"

"It's more than ok. I still intend to make our first time special for both of us since it'll be my first time making love. In the past, I've only fucked..hard. I've never had the desire to want more."

"What changed things?" His hand grazes my face softly while I await his response.

"You."

* * *

"How was it?", I ask anxiously after dinner. Christian picks up his napkin and wipes the corner of his mouth and nods.

"Miss Steele. that was the best dinner or should I say breakfast that I've had in a long time. The cooks at IHOP have nothing on you.", he laughs. "Did you mother teach you how to cook?"

"Some. It wasn't until after she and my dad divorced that I started cooking more. I suppose your cooking skills are either limited or non-existant.", I tease.

"I can make a sandwich which you're probably thinking is no big deal, but my club sandwich is pretty spectacular."

"Mmm. You may have to make me one some time."

"It would be my pleasure. Since you cooked, I'll clean up." Before he stands up, I reach across the table and place my hand on his arm.

"We can do it together." I keep my hand in place and lean over the table to kiss him, but in doing so, the hem of my shirt lands in my plate and in the syrup. "Damn it.", I mutter, looking down at the spot. "I'm going to grab another shirt first." He stands up with me and smiles as I hurry to my bedroom. After taking off my shirt and throwing into the dirty clothes hamper, I put on a simple gray tee and rejoin him in the kitchen where he's already removed the dishes from the table.

"That was fast."

"I basically picked up the first shirt that I saw."

"It looks good on you, but then again everything does.", he says with his trademark boyish grin.

"Smooth Grey. You didn't have to start cleaning up without me. I was only gone a few minutes."

"Eh. I might not be very good with most kitchen chores, but I'm pretty good at clearing the table. I also have some more shocking news for you. I can load dishes in the dishwasher.", he teases. "And I can do it without breaking a single dish. Watch and prepare to have your mind blown."

I step back and wave for him to proceed with loading the dishes in the dishwasher. He picks up the first plate, waves it proudly, and then places it on the dishwasher rack. I can't hold my laughter as he bows.

"Bravo.", I clap. "I'm very impressed."

"I need alcohol STAT!", Kate yells from the living room. Christian's face drops as I hear him take a deep breath. His eyes shift around the room like he's looking for an escape route. "Ana, where are..." She stops herself when she sees him standing beside me.

"I'll get the glasses.", Ethan sighs while coming into the room. "And we have company. Hello Christian."

"Hi.", Christian stammers. "Kate, hello." Kate doesn't say anything to his greeting.

"Christian stopped by so we could talk.", I tell the Kavanagh siblings.

"How'd that go for you?", Kate asks.

"It went well. Even though we both have some learning to do, we're willing to give things another go. I know the other night won't be forgotten, but I hope we can all move past it.", I reply, alternating my eyes at the three of them. "All of you mean a lot to me."

"Ethan, I'm sorry for the trouble that I caused you. I'd like for us to at least be civil.", Christian says.

"I'd like that too especially since Ana's a part of both of our lives."

"I can see that you're every bit the good guy and friend Ana described you as being." The two of them shake hands as Kate remains silent. "Kate."

"I guess you want the two of you to be pals too.", Kate says sarcastically. "I didn't have a problem with you until you hurt two of the most important people in my life. I'll defend them until the end, but I'll also support them when needed. Ana has been happier than I've seen in a long time, and you're responsible for that. Be good to her, and I won't use my martial arts training on you."

"Martial arts training? What the fuck? When did that happen?", a confused Ethan asks. Christian relaxes and snakes his arm around my waist. "Kate and I were going to have some drinks. Do you two want to join us?" Ethan's smiling, but I'm wondering how dinner with his parents went. Did it end so bad that he wants to drink away his sorrows?

"Thank you for the offer, but I need to finish looking over some contracts that I've been neglecting. Again, thank you for giving me a second chance, all of you.", Christian says before facing me. "Walk me out?" I nod and follow him to the door where he kisses me.

"Hopefully you'll be able to sleep better tonight."

"I'm sure that I will." He motions to the magazine cover which is laying on top of the coffee table. "What do you plan on doing with that?"

"I'm thinking of getting a frame for it.", I shrug. "Who knows, maybe I'll put it on my bedside table so I can look at before going to sleep at night."

"It'll be like sleeping with me.", he says with a smirk. "Would you like to do something tomorrow evening after you get back from the book fair?"

"I'd like that very much. I'll call you so we can set a time. Goodnight Mr. Grey."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"Question, why are the two of you getting ready to drink?", I ask once I'm back in the kitchen. Ethan pours a glass of orange juice and then adds a lot of vodka to the beverage. "That bad, huh?"

"Actually, it went better than I could have ever imagined. Ana, we sat down with our parents tonight and had the heart to heart to end all heart to hearts. It felt like we had stepped into some alternate universe.", Ethan replies. "My parents found out things. Kate and I found out things. It was a very good night."

"In honor of that very good night, we're celebrating.", Kate giggles. "Here's your glass." She slides a glass of orange juice over to me, but I look at it with skepticism. "We know that you have an early day tomorrow so it's only orange juice."

"I knew your parents would be supportive of you."

"My dad told us about his father putting pressure on him to be the best in everything. Failure wasn't an option in my grandfather's eyes, and with that being all my dad knew, he thought that's how he should treat me and Kate. He's noticed how we often walk on eggshells around him. He tried telling himself that putting pressure on us was the best thing, but he knew deep down that it wasn't. When I sat down and looked him straight in the face and told him that I'm gay, something shifted in him. He and my mom sat there and listened to how I've been living with this secret in an attempt to please them."

"Dad said that he could tell when Ethan brought a girl around that he didn't have a genuine connection with them, but he brushed it off.", Kate adds. "I was so proud of how strong he was when he talked to them."

"It was scary, but once I had the words out, I felt better. "Be your own person.", is what my dad told me afterwards. As long as we're happy, that's all that matters."

"Ethan, I'm sp happy for you. Do you feel better now about seeing Max?", I ask.

"Yes. I called him as soon as we left our parents'. I wasn't sure if he was going to answer, but when he did...oh my god. Hearing his voice for the first time in forever was amazing. Although I was worried that he didn't want to give me the time of day, he agreed to meet me tomorrow afternoon for lunch. My anxiety over telling my parents about being gay has been replaced by the anxiety of seeing him, but it's a good anxiety."

"Like I told you with your parents, it's going to be fine." Kate's sitting at the table in what seems to be a daydream. "What are you thinking about or do I not want to know?"

"I was just thinking about how happy I am for you guys." Ethan raises his glass, hinting for me and Kate to do the same.

"To friendship and love, two of the best damn things in the world."


End file.
